Saturday, July 30, 2016

Expanding tourism jobs for immigrants

Expanding tourism jobs for immigrants

Staff writer, with CNA
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration is taking steps to expand job opportunities for Southeast Asian immigrants in the tourism industry, particularly for tour guides, in keeping with the government’s “new southbound policy.”
During a joint briefing yesterday, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) and the Tourist Guide Association advised Southeast Asian immigrants on the procedure for obtaining tour guide licenses.
The briefing was held in line with the government’s new southbound policy, which is aimed at increasing the diversity of Taiwan’s trade partners so that the nation is not overreliant on the Chinese market, the agency said.
Saying that the number of Southeast Asian travelers and immigrants in Taiwan is rising, the NIA added that the government hopes to help spur an increase in job opportunities for Southeast Asian-language tour guides and boost tourism from that area.
Vietnamese Fan Shih Pei Liu said she was pleased to see the government offering greater assistance to immigrants like her. Fan, who obtained a tour guide license in 2014, said that back then, it was difficult to obtain information on the process for an immigrant to become a tour guide in Taiwan.
She said her plan is to build her professional knowledge and skills so that she can take Vietnamese visitors on tours around the nation.
Linda Tjindiawati, an Indonesian with a master’s degree from a British university, said that after she married a Taiwanese, she was not sure what work she would find in Taiwan.
A tour guide job has the added benefit of allowing the guide to learn more about different places in Taiwan, said Tjindiawati, whose daughter also attended the briefing to gain information about Indonesian-language employment opportunities in the nation.
The number of travelers from Southeast Asian to Taiwan has more than doubled over the past 10 years, rising from 638,939 in 2005 to more than 1.4 million last year, according to Tourism Bureau statistics.
Malaysians accounted for the largest number of visitors from the region last year, followed by Singaporeans and Indonesians.
As of the end of last month, there were about 144,000 foreign spouses from Southeast Asia living in Taiwan, with Vietnamese making up the largest number, according to NIA statistics.

Cutting wages for sitting down is illegal: activists

Cutting wages for sitting down is illegal: activists

HARMFUL:Store clerks are at risk of developing occupational diseases, such as jogger’s heel, because they stand for hours every day, a union member said

By Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter
Many department stores breach work safety rules by fining store clerks for sitting down, workers’ rights activists said yesterday, adding that outsourcing management at the stores complicates the appeal process.
“What we really need is an across-the-board system for us to be able to sit down while at work,” a union member, identified only as “Miss A,” said at a news conference held by Youth Labor Union 95. “Floor managers are free to make up their own administrative rules, and there are all sorts of things they can pick on if they want to give you a hard time.”
She said store clerks often face pay cuts ranging between NT$200 and NT$500 out of their daily salaries of less than NT$1,000 if they are caught sitting down, with standing for long hours every day leading to a range of occupational diseases such as plantar fasciitis, or jogger’s heel, and varicose veins.
Taiwan Labor and Social Policy Research Association executive director Chang Feng-yi (張烽益) said the fines violate the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法).
“Facility rules [of the act] are very clear that employers are required to provide chairs for employees who stand for long stretches to allow them to rest,” he said, adding that department stores were included within the scope of the rule as “managers” of the facilities in which clerks work.
The persistence of fines and lack of chairs could be attributed to lax government oversight, he said.
Youth Labor Union 95 president Catta Chou (周于萱) said that while floor managers technically fine individual booths and counters, employers invariably deduct the fines from employees’ salaries.
“The result is that if you want to fight for your rights, you can only target your employer, even though the real conflict is between yourself and the department store,” she said, adding that employers “tacitly approve” of department store management by choosing not to defend their employees against the fines.
“Salary deductions are also illegal, but employees have to be willing to fight over them for the issue to be addressed,” she said, adding that many employees are unwilling get into conflict with their employees.
She said her union only has 20 members, attributing the low number to clerks’ long hours and limited holidays, leaving little time to participate in union events.
“Miss A” said that floor managers impose fines for sitting as part of efforts to maintain store image, adding booth operators might not contest the fines out of fear of losing their rented space.
She added that clerks who confronted their employers over wage cuts were able to win their money back as long as they had a basic understanding of the law.

Youth jobless rate 12.36%

Youth jobless rate 12.36%

INTERVIEW TROUBLES:Young people reported being asked to go out by their interviewer or being told lewd jokes, an online survey by yes123 job bank revealed

By Lin Yen-tung and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer
The unemployment rate among the nation’s young people is 12.36 percent, while 19.2 percent of respondents to a yes123 poll reported experiencing sexual harassment at job interviews.
The online job bank said the survey was conducted to advise job hunters on resume writing and interview techniques.
Among respondents who reported sexual harassment, 31.9 percent were asked about their sexual orientation, 28.8 percent reported being told “lewd jokes,” 20.8 percent were asked to go drinking or dining with the interviewer, 18.1 percent were asked to go on an outing with the interviewer and 15.3 percent reported unwanted contact, the survey said.
In addition, 76.5 percent of young job hunters report being asked uncomfortable questions by interviewers about their private life, ranging from their relationship status, plans for marriage or having children, mental and physical health, zodiac sign or blood type, the survey said.
Yes123 spokesman Yang Tsung-pin (楊宗斌) said that inappropriate questions or advances could constitute “workplace discrimination,” and that “unequal power relationships at the workplace” are partly to blame.
Yang said jobseekers should politely refuse to answer improper questions, or ask the interviewer the professional purpose of the line of questioning and give answers that address the professional concern instead of the questions themselves.
When respondents were asked to choose the most frustrating part of the job-hunting process, 70 percent said that writing a self-introduction in their resume was the most problematic, 64.7 percent cited their lack of professional skills and certificates, while 60.3 percent said it was their lack of previous work experience or membership in a club.
Of business agents polled in the survey, 48.1 percent said that they consider applicants who submitted an additional English-language resume to have an advantage over those who did not, while 92 percent said they prioritized jobseekers who provided a photograph of themselves in their resume, the survey said.
Chang Hsiao-wen (鄭曉雯), director of human resources for the hotel industry at yes123, said the greatest challenge for job hunters was that a resume has a 30-second window to pique interest.
A complete resume should include academic credentials; a brief family history that includes the applicant’s ranking by age among siblings; ambitions and expectations in working for the industry; plans for career advancement in the near and intermediate future and a showcase of the applicant’s unique skills and positive traits, Chang said.
In addition to a professional-looking photograph, the job seeker should demonstrate an ability to accommodate the employer’s needs and a willingness to learn, while a clear and specific curriculum vitae is also highly important to success, Chang added.
The online survey was conducted from July 7 to Wednesday last week with online questionnaires directed at young job hunters who graduated or completed military conscription this year.
It had 1,500 valid samples and a margin of error of 3.32 percentage points.

Taipower union protest changes to Electricity Act

Taipower union protest changes to Electricity Act

By Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

Hundreds of members of the Taiwan Power Labor Union yesterday stage a protest against the government’s draft amendment to the Electricity Act outside a public meeting held in Taipei.

Photo: CNA

Proposed amendments to the Electricity Act (電業法) yesterday drew heated protests from the Taiwan Power Labor Union, which accused the Ministry of Economic Affairs of inflating its claims of public support.
Union members staged a protest outside, while the Bureau of Energy hosted a public meeting on the proposed revisions.
The demonstrators shouted that the changes would “dismember” Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) while illegally profiting private firms, and called on Minister of Economic Affairs Lee Chih-kung (李世光) to resign.
They said Lee was a “liar” for claiming that the ministry had reached a consensus with the union over proposed changes at two earlier meetings.
“You are just putting us off and going through the motions because you are under pressure to send a draft version to the Executive Yuan by Friday,” said union president Ting Tso-yi (丁作一), who attended the meeting.
Ting added that the draft legislation was “completely different” from what Lee had discussed with the union.
Several activists got into a shouting match with anti-nuclear activist Yang Huo-mu (楊火木), before withdrawing from the meeting in protest.
“Other than slowing down passage of the law to allow further consideration, our main demand is that employees’ right to work be included in the legislation to make sure they are guaranteed,” because they might be laid off if Taipower spins off some of its business units during privatization, Ting said.
In addition to potentially splitting up the company, the proposed changes would allow electricity producers to sell directly to consumers for the first time.
“We hope to be able to work things out with communication, but if communication does not work, we will use all necessary measures,” Ting said, adding that the union would not rule out options such as refusing to work on typhoon days.
A scheduled union meeting on Thursday next week would determine what measures the union would take, he said.
Last month, the union threatened to hold a strike, but backed down following a meeting with Lee.
Union vice secretary for public relations Hung Ching-fu (洪清福) said the government plans could mean price increases for people living in remote areas, echoing concerns voiced by Taipower officials on Tuesday that ultra-high voltage users would monopolize cheaper forms of energy, leaving the general public with higher electricity prices.
“[Private power operators] will not want to service remote areas, Aboriginal communities living in the mountains or some rural areas, so these areas will likely face higher electricity prices,” Hung said.
Bureau of Energy Secretary-General Lee Chun-li (李君禮) said that the government would not allow drastic energy price hikes for the general public.
A new government bureau would be established to regulate the electricity market, Lee said.
Lee Chih-kung promised to hold further discussions based on the views presented by various groups and ministries, adding that legislation discussed at yesterday’s meeting was a “rough draft.”
Additional reporting by Huang Pei-chun, Lin Chu-han and CNA

Migrant workers are being ‘severely overworked’: Tsai

Migrant workers are being ‘severely overworked’: Tsai

RIGHTS PROTECTION:Foreign caregivers in the nation have long been calling for better wages and shorter working hours, as well as regular days off

Staff writer, with CNA
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that foreign migrant workers are overworked and her government is hoping to better protect their rights.
Human rights protection is an important issue, Tsai said in a meeting with US Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Susan Coppedge, who is a senior adviser to US Secretary of State John Kerry.
“At present, there are still some foreign workers in Taiwan who are severely overworked, or are forced to work in highly hazardous or physically exhausting jobs,” Tsai was quoted as saying in a statement released by the Presidential Office after the closed-door meeting.
The president said she hopes to better protect the rights of such workers and wants to assure the international community of the nation’s efforts to safeguard human rights, the statement said.
Coppedge touted Taiwan’s efforts to combat human trafficking, noting that the nation is listed as a “tier” 1 country — those that are doing the best job — in the annual Trafficking in Persons report released by the US Department of State last month, the statement said.
Coppedge is in Taipei for an international workshop on combating human trafficking that is being organized by the National Immigration Agency.
As of the end of last month, there were 602,309 foreign migrant workers in Taiwan, with Indonesia accounting for the largest number, followed by Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, Ministry of Labor statistics showed.
Migrant workers have long been calling for better wages and working hours, as well as regular days off. Foreign domestic helpers and caregivers are not protected under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).

Protesters call for Cabinet to cancel holiday cutbacks

Protesters call for Cabinet to cancel holiday cutbacks

By Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

Demonstrators under tarps on which the Chinese character for “exhausted” are written lie on a street outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times

The Executive Yuan should withdraw draft amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), labor campaigners said yesterday in a protest outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, as the summer’s first extraordinary session drew to a close.
The protests followed the Executive Yuan’s submission of draft amendments to the legislature for review.
Sweltering heat did not deter more than 100 protesters from lying on the pavement of a road bordering the Legislative Yuan, forming the Chinese characters for “123 days off.”
They covered themselves with tarps and umbrellas emblazoned with the Chinese character for lei (累, exhausted), with splotches of red paint on the covers symbolizing the “blood and sweat” of workers.
They shouted for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to withdraw proposed amendments and “return” seven national holidays.
“As laborers, we are only able to use our bodies to highlight how unfair this policy is for us,” Workers Struggle Alliance member Mao Chen-fei (毛振飛) said.
The seven national holidays have previously been observed by workers who did not have a five-day workweek, but the Ministry of Labor plans to eliminate them following the passage of new amendments, which raise overtime pay for working on a newly established weekly “flexible rest day.”
All workers already have one weekly “fixed day off,” on which working is almost entirely forbidden, except in special circumstances, such as a disaster or emergency.
“[President] Tsai [Ing-wen (蔡英文)] promised to cut working hours for workers as part of her election platform, but what her administration is doing is cutting seven national holidays while pushing a fake five-day workweek,” Workers Struggle Alliance member Chen Ming-chen (陳姳臻) said, adding that the groups plan to stage protests next month prior to the legislature’s next extraordinary session.
While the new amendments were initially slated to pass this week, consideration was halted last week after the DPP coconvener of the legislative committee in question chose not to open a review session on the proposed amendments, preventing the meeting from being held.
Workers Struggle Alliance member Kuo Kuan-chun (郭冠均) criticized remarks by Tsai on Thursday, in which she promised to guarantee workers’ rights while striking a balance between the interests of workers and businesses.
“She already made similar statements before the election. What we expect is something more substantial: the withdrawal of the proposal to cut national holidays while mandating two ‘fixed days off’ each week to truly realize a five-day workweek,” he said.

Transport industry to get special labor conditions

Transport industry to get special labor conditions

NEGATIVE IMPACT:Transportation employers who said that they cannot observe new labor rules have won a reprieve, as regulators have agreed to investigate further

By Loa Iok-sin  /  Staff reporter

Premier Lin Chuan, front row, second right, talks to the media in Kinmen County yesterday.

Photo: Wu Cheng-ting, Taipei Times

The Cabinet yesterday said that the new labor law has been postponed for two months and that it would give “special consideration” to certain industries, such as the travel, media and the public transportation industries, on the condition that labor rights are protected.
Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) made the statement following a three-hour inter-ministerial meeting, which was held after representatives from more than 40 bus companies earlier yesterday said that they might have to reduce services to comply with new labor regulations.
The new labor law, which would have required all workers to have one day off for every six days worked, were due to come into effect tomorrow.
“The new mandatory labor regulation that requires workers to have one day off following every six days of work was initially to take effect tomorrow. The Cabinet has also agreed to give special consideration to certain industries following protests by employers in the travel, media and public transportation industries,” Tung told a news conference last night, adding that the Ministry of Labor would investigate further in conjunction with government agencies in charge of those industries.
Earlier yesterday, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said he would ask the labor ministry to research more flexible options for specific industries.
“We have to face the impact [that the new regulation would have] on businesses, and thus I will ask the labor ministry if they can come up with more flexible solutions for specific industries, such as service-oriented industries,” Lin said. “Of course, our priority is still protecting workers’ rights and giving them sufficient time to rest.”
According to labor ministry statistics, about 4.2 million workers would benefit from the new labor regulation, but it could have a negative impact on employers in certain industries, such as public transportation and media.
Representatives from transportation companies said that they need more flexibility in rostering shifts, especially during vacations or long weekends when demand increases.
Media organizations also expressed concerns that they might not always be able to observe rules, such as when journalists traveled with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on a state visit to Latin America that lasted 10 days.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Tsai to balance worker, boss rights

Tsai to balance worker, boss rights

Staff writer, with CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen, right, and Chinese National Federation of Industries chairman Hsu Sheng-hsiung yesterday pose for photographers holding the federation’s white paper at the Presidential Office in Taipei.

Photo: CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that the government would work to strike a balance between the interests of workers and industry, and find a win-win solution for both sides.
At a meeting with business leaders, Tsai said that while the administration would not leave enterprises to face the pressures of transformation alone, it would be certain to ensure workers’ rights.
She made the comment in response to the ongoing dispute concerning workers’ hours while meeting 55 of the Chinese National Federation of Industries board directors and supervisors, including chairman Hsu Sheng-hsiung (許勝雄) and vice chairman Leslie Koo (辜成允).
Tsai said that when she met representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises several weeks ago, she told them that industries in Taiwan have to speed up their transformation so that their profits can increase, more jobs can be created and salaries can be raised.
Tsai said that she understands that enterprises have to race against time to complete orders, while workers care more about salary levels and rest breaks.
“As the head of state, my job is not to curry favor with anybody. My responsibility is to decide on a direction of development for the nation and to ensure that everyone is on the development train,” Tsai said, adding that workers and businesses should move toward the goal together.
The nation’s most important goal is modification of the economic structure, she said, adding that the government would improve the investment environment and take measures to help companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises — which account for 98 percent of Taiwan’s total businesses — to transform themselves, while ensuring workers’ rights.
“The government has the responsibility to pull workers back from the brink of low pay and overwork,” she said, adding that the government would ensure all workers’ rights to receive paid holidays and overtime pay, and impose restrictions on work hours through robust enforcement of labor laws.
Tsai also said businesses should think about how to generate benefits and improve employees’ working conditions.
She also mentioned the dispute over a draft amendment to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), saying that the proposal is aimed at ensuring workers’ right to a maximum of two paid days off per week, but has sparked heated debate among employees and employers.
The Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan should do their utmost to explain the issue to those concerned and allow them to express their views in order to reach a consensus on the matter, she said.
The government would also tackle a dispute regarding whether to cut the number of officially designated holidays per year from 19 to 12, as part of its plans to implement a two days off, 40-hour work week system, Tsai said.

Saturday, July 23, 2016

Poll finds overtime work brings scant compensation

Poll finds overtime work brings scant compensation

Staff writer, with CNA
Nearly a quarter (24.8 percent) of office workers do not receive any form of compensation for hours worked outside their regularly scheduled time, according to survey released yesterday by an online job broker.
The survey conducted by the online 1111 Job Bank found that employers of more than 65 percent of respondents have violated the Labor Standards Act’s (勞動基準法) rules governing overtime.
Only 35 percent of respondents did receive legally required overtime pay, the survey found, while 25 percent said overtime was paid occasionally, depending on the situation, and 15 percent said they only received overtime compensation for holidays.
On average, workers who did not receive the legally required overtime pay or paid time off worked 13 extra hours per month, the survey found.
Daniel Lee (李大華), vice president of 1111 Job Bank, said the Ministry of Labor has stepped up workplace inspections since last year, but problems of overwork remain unresolved.
Employers take advantage of legal loopholes by submitting falsified time sheets for payment of wages, he said, while official inspections are ineffective because of personnel shortages.
The ministry’s regulations guaranteeing two days off per week for all workers cannot prevent companies from forcing their employees to work overtime illegally, he said.
The job bank said the survey collected 1,144 valid responses, but it did not give a margin of error.

Number of workers on furlough drops in first half of month

Number of workers on furlough drops in first half of month

Staff writer, with CNA
The number of workers forced to take unpaid leave in the first half of this month decreased from the second half of last month, government statistics released yesterday showed.
Ministry of Labor statistics showed that there were 402 workers on furlough as of Friday last week, down from 658 as of the end of last month.
According to the data, 21 employers had put some of their employees on furlough programs in the first half of this month, down from 26 at the end of last month.
From July 1 to Friday last week, eight employers terminated their unpaid leave programs, but three more imposed mandatory furloughs on employees.
The government releases data on furloughs twice each month to give updates about the local labor market situation, particularly in light of declining exports amid weak global demand.
The ministry said enterprises that impose unpaid leave mostly have less than 50 employees and are mostly in the metal, machinery and electrical sectors.
The period of unpaid leave can be no more than three months, while the number of days are usually four to eight days permonth, the ministry’s data show.

DPP planning to hire 70 new workers for grassroots initiatives

DPP planning to hire 70 new workers for grassroots initiatives

By Su Fang-ho and Jonathan Chin  /  Staff reporter, with staff writer

A Democratic Progressive Party worker holds up a poster at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Su Fang-he, Taipei Times

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) plans to boost its staff by more than half by recruiting 70 new workers for deployment in grassroots-level organizations, DPP spokeswoman Chiu Li-li (邱莉莉) said yesterday.
Speaking at a news conference after the DPP Central Executive Committee’s first meeting since the party’s success in the January elections, Chiu said that the DPP plans to hire “new blood” to fill new positions, as well as vacancies created by former party workers who entered public service after the elections.
The party plans to its boost the number of its workers by 56 percent from 125, Chiu said.
The DPP will accept applications from Aug. 1 to Aug. 10, review applications from Aug. 11 to Aug. 20 and conduct training for the rest of the month, Chiu said.
New employees are to start work on Sept. 1, she added.
Applicants should be young, passionate about politics, interested in promoting public consensus at the local and national level, and ready to facilitate party grassroots drives at the city and county levels, she said.
When asked about wages, Chiu said that the committee had only yesterday passed the proposal and that salaries would be determined later, adding that compensation would be in line with the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).

Protesters call for Executive Yuan to withdraw amendments to labor laws

Protesters call for Executive Yuan to withdraw amendments to labor laws

By Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

Representatives of labor groups stage a protest outside the Executuve Yuan in Taipei yesterday to demand that the government withdraw a draft amendment to the Labor Standards Act that eliminates seven public holidays.

Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times

The Executive Yuan should withdraw flawed amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), protesters said yesterday, as a hunger strike continued prior to today’s expected passage by a legislative committee of the amendments.
More than 30 protesters from several unions and groups gathered outside the Executive Yuan complex in Taipei, calling for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to withdraw the amendments and restore seven national holidays.
Elimination of the holidays has been a lightning rod in the ongoing national debate over implementing a five-day workweek, with Ministry of Labor plans calling for the holidays to be abolished after the passage of amendments to the act stipulating one mandatory day off and one flexible “rest day” each week.
“Extra pay for working on days off is fake — what is real is the reduced number of holidays,” Taipei City Confederation of Trade Unions chairwoman Cheng Ya-hui (鄭雅慧) said, echoing criticism that the ministry’s supplementary measures to restrict rest day overtime would be difficult to enforce.
The measures would increase overtime pay or compensatory leave for any rest day work hours.
Taiwan Higher Education Union organization department director Lin Po-yi (林柏儀) called for the proposed changes to be put on hold until further discussions are held.
“The government should not hold a knife to our throats by pushing the holiday reductions as a negotiation strategy,” he said.
“As the DPP controls both the legislative and executive branches, all Legislative Yuan proceedings are just about escorting its proposed changes to passage,” said Alliance for Workers of Closed Factories member Lu Chyi-horng (盧其宏), who demanded the immediate withdrawal of the Executive Yuan’s bill.
“The DPP plans to discuss how to address the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) illicit assets. Why does it not talk about how business owners eat the people’s flesh and suck their blood?” he said.
Lu was critical of the ministry’s assertion that turning flexible rest days into mandatory days off would affect long weekends, as national holidays are often tied with weekends, but workers are forced to work the preceding Saturday to make up for the “additional” time off.
“There would not be any problem as long as the seven days are given back to workers, because they can be moved [to join other official holidays with weekends],” he said.
A government representative briefly greeted protesters, but quickly returned to the complex before accepting their petition, saying that the Executive Yuan would respect the Legislative Yuan’s decision on the proposed amendments.
Eight protesters yesterday camped outside the Legislative Yuan to continue a hunger strike.

DPP’s labor act amendment stalls

DPP’s labor act amendment stalls

SHOUTING MATCH:Lawmakers from the KMT and the NPP briefly scuffled and called each other parasites after a scheduled review session failed to take place

By Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Hung Tzu-yung, second left, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Shu-hua, third left, and NPP caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming, fourth right, fight for the microphone in a meeting room at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times

Efforts to push ahead with proposed amendments to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) stalled yesterday after a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator failed to show up for a review.
DPP Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬), co-convener of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, was supposed to chair yesterday’s meeting.
New Power Party (NPP) legislators arrived hours ahead of the scheduled meeting to occupy the speaker’s podium and “hold a place” for Lin.
They refused to relinquish control to DPP Legislator Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴), who said that Lin had authorized her to chair the meeting, demanding that Wu present a written statement of authorization.
“We say that [Lin] Shu-fen is unwilling to open today’s meeting to avoid endorsing the ruling party’s ‘flexible day off’ policy, but if she does not come, the basis for opening the meeting has to be clear,” NPP Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) said.
The Executive Yuan has proposed a “flexible day off” policy that would guarantee a five-day work week when combined with the existing “mandatory day off” provision, but the idea has been criticized by workers’ rights activists, who said employees could still have to work overtime on their “flexible” days off days.
A reduction in national public holidays for workers benefiting from the proposal are expected if the proposed amendments pass.
“Lin is the co-convener who sent out the meeting notice and prepared the entrance permits. We would allow her to chair the meeting if she comes,” NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said.
DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) was “living in his own world” by saying that party caucuses had the right to approve an interim committee chairman, Huang said.
“You can say that you have authorization [from Lin], but I could say the same. How can you persuade me, unless she steps forward?” he said.
Wu said that Lin had asked her during Wednesday’s legislative floor session to chair the meeting.
DPP legislators were “stunned” by the NPP’s occupation of the podium, Wu said.
“[Lin] Shu-fen has her own ideas, some of which have changed during this process,” she said, adding that a written statement of authorization had not been prepared because such a formality had not been needed before.
After failing to reach a resolution with their NPP colleagues, Ker, DPP caucus director-general Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) and the other DPP legislators left the committee room. They returned more than an hour later after a private meeting with Minister of Labor Kuo Fan-yu (郭芳煜) to say that the meeting would be postponed.
“Today has shown that people have different views, so it is not a problem for us to pick another day to allow more talks to be held,” Ker said against a background of drumming and shouting from people protesting on the street outside the building.
“Although I feel that the Legislative Yuan has the authority to appoint an interim committee chair, I also do not think it is necessary for us to spend time debating such a minor procedural matter,” he said.
His announcement drew jeers from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators.
The KMT had sent more than 10 legislators, including several who serve on other committees, who arrived in their trademark blue “battle” shirts for what was expected to be a drawn-out fight over the proposed amendment.
“If the committee meeting is not going to be held, why set the agenda in the first place,” KMT Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲) said. “We did not stop this meeting, the DPP’s own convener failed to show up for a review of their own version of the amendment, for an agenda passed by the DPP itself.”
The interlude between the DPP lawmakers leaving the room and Ker’s announcement was marked by shouting matches between NPP and KMT legislators, including a brief scuffle that broke out after KMT lawmakers encircled NPP lawmakers occupying the convener’s podium.
Lawmakers from both sides called each other “parasites” and accused each other of “putting on a show.”
NPP Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸), who holds the party’s sole Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee seat, said she welcomed the delay, although yesterday’s agenda had included a review of the NPP’s proposed amendments.
“The reason why we took action today is because we feel that the national government has not done enough to communicate with civil society about the proposed changes,” she said.
She said a public hearing should be held before the amendments are reviewed.
Failure to pass the DPP’s amendment yesterday is likely to delay its deliberation for at least a month, with the remaining days of the extraordinary legislative session taken up by general assembly meetings.
In related news, hunger strikers protesting against the DPP amendment announced outside the Legislative Yuan that they had ended their 52-hour fast, but promised more protests and marches to deter a “surprise” passage of the amendment next month after the extraordinary session concludes.
Protesters’ allegations that the DPP is siding with big business with its proposed amendment were rebutted by DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋).
“We are not bowing to pressure from large corporations, because having two fixed holidays every week does not really have that much of an impact on them, but it could have a serious effect on small and medium-sized businesses [SMEs], which are the dominant businesses in the nation,” Lee said during an interview.
SMEs on average have about 20 employees or less, and therefore would need a more flexible way of planning work shifts, Lee said.
“A mandatory requirement that every employee has two days off per week might cause serious problems to production lines, yet, due to their smaller size, most of them cannot afford to hire extra people,” Lee said. “So we have proposed a compromise to allow employers to have more flexibility in planning shifts, while asking them to pay more overtime to those who work on their flexible rest day.”
The DPP expected to be criticized by both businesses and workers’ rights groups, “but when you are in power, you just have to look at an issue from all the angles to work out something that might benefit all parties,” he said.
Additional reporting by Loa Iok-sin