Taiwan has the sixth highest average work hours in the world, yet revisions to the Labor Standards Act suggested this week by the government roll back hard-fought victories for labor rights secured last year, and leave the door open for employers to exploit workers unprotected by unions.

The News Lens
Date: 2017/11/03
By: Stellina Chen 

Taiwan’s Ministry of Labor drew fire from labor rights groups and opposition legislators this week after the release of draft amendments to Taiwan’s Labor Standards Act.

The draft, submitted for public input on Oct. 31, was criticized for kowtowing to employers and leaving workers vulnerable to being overworked.

A key revision states that employees are able to work for 12 days straight before taking a day off, rather than the current rule introduced last year, which stipulates one mandatory day off per week plus one flexible day of rest.

At a question and answer session following the release of the revised Act, lawmakers including Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Chiang Yung-chang (江永昌) expressed dismay at the government’s stance given that the law had only been amended 11 months previously in order to protect workers’ rights.    [FULL  STORY]