People's Party Caucus Proposes Five Labor Law Amendments Ahead of Labor Day

(Central News Agency, Taipei, April 30) Deputy Secretary-General of the People's Party Caucus, Wang An-hsiang, stated today that this year's Labor Day, being the first national holiday, holds particular significance. He announced five proposed directions for labor law amendments. These include increasing the employer's contribution rate for the labor retirement pension from 6% to 8%, removing the six-month cap on severance pay, extending maternity leave from eight to ten weeks, and extending parental leave benefits to nine months.

Deputy Secretary-General Wang An-hsiang and Secretary-General Chiu Hui-ju of the Legislative Caucus of the Taiwan People's Party held a press conference today.

Wang An-hsiang pointed out the first proposal is to amend the "Labor Pension Act" to increase the employer's contribution rate from 6% to 8%, and to explicitly stipulate that the government establish a reward mechanism to encourage employee contributions. The second proposal is to amend the "Labor Pension Act" to remove the "maximum payment of six months" cap on severance pay, reflecting the long-term substantive work contribution of laborers, thereby protecting their rights and preventing them from being sacrificed by the system.

Wang An-hsiang explained that the third proposal is to amend the "Gender Equality in Employment Act" to extend maternity leave from eight weeks to ten weeks, gradually aligning with the 14-week maternity leave stipulated in the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions. The fourth proposal is to amend the "Employment Insurance Act" to increase the calculation of the average monthly insured salary for the first six months of parental leave from 60% to 80%, and to extend the duration from six months to a maximum of nine months.

Wang An-hsiang stated that the fifth proposal concerns the Executive Yuan's estimated finalization of tariffs on the United States in July, which will focus on issues related to forced labor. Therefore, to implement the rights of migrant workers, measures such as prohibiting forced labor and the import of products made through forced labor will be enacted to achieve a nation truly based on human rights.

Additionally, Chiu Hui-ju explained that police and firefighters wish to form unions and possess "the right to organize and negotiate." However, the government intends to use the "Civil Service Association Act" as a pretext, as any duties related to disaster prevention and firefighting cannot be negotiated. People's Party legislator Chen Chao-tzu has already proposed an amendment to the "Trade Union Act" to support the formation of unions by police and firefighters.

Chiu Hui-ju stated that Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-lin said yesterday that a task force would be established to discuss the timeline for legislating the "three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio." However, the ministry only intends to amend the "Regulations Governing the Establishment of Medical Institutions," which are at the administrative order level. The People's Party will strongly push for amendments to the "Medical Care Act," stipulating that the central competent authority should establish a consultative committee to incorporate diverse opinions, such as those from nursing groups and independent third parties, to regularly review the three-shift nurse-to-patient ratio data. (Editor: Chang Jo-yao) 0430