• Last updated:2021-10-18

Minister of Council of Labor Affairs at Executive Yuan, Lee Ying-yuan held a Chinese New Year press conference named ‘Healthy and Positive Energy in Taiwan, Happy Labor in the New Year’. He gave an annual administrative report of 2005 and proposed targets for 2006 based on the theme of ‘Safety, Happiness and Dignity’ in the hope of giving all workers an energetic and happy new year. 

Minister Lee expressed his gratitude for all the hard work of his administrative team. There has been great results in creating job opportunities, adjusting regulations for foreign labor, laying down legislations on employment insurance, improving workers’ skills, introducing new pension schemes, regulating new types of labor, extending legal aid to workers, providing aid for workers of minority groups, lowering risks at the work place, strengthening the prevention of casualties at the work place, carrying out regulations for casualties at the work place, promoting labor rights to be included in the constitution and strengthening the relationship between employers and employees, etc. This shows what members of the Council of Labor Affairs have achieved for Taiwanese workers in the past year. 

Minister Lee said that seeing the globalisation of economy he feels that he has great responsibilities in the approaching year. He proposed new administrative plans based on the theme of ‘Safety, Happiness and Dignity’. For exercising ‘Safety’, the Council will aim to extend enforcement of inspection by following regulations of health and safety and form ‘safety partnerships’ to execute the ‘222 Disaster Reduction Plan’ in order to reduce 20% on the rate of both death and casualty within two years. For ‘Happiness’, the Council will promote equality in the labor force to establish their value. Moreover, the Council will also develop the system of careers training, review the training for public employment services, open up job opportunities for minority groups and improve outlines for the Multi-Employment Promotion Program. As for ‘Dignity’, they will integrate and fulfil both old and new pension schemes; promote annual pension payments for the elderly; secure the quality of life of pensioners; actively seek labor rights to be included in the constitution and to review the ‘Three Legislations for the Labor Force’ to improve the security of labor rights. Furthermore, the Council will also strengthen the aid for families affected by death or casualties in the work place; reward employers for improving work environments and provide tuition grants for the children of workers of minority groups and guide them through the aid scheme of ‘Route of Hope’. The Council will improve the workers’ welfare based on four aspects ‘Help the Under-Privileged’, ‘Aid the Disadvantaged’, ‘Provide Support’ and ‘Show Marked Improvements’ in the hope of providing safety and happiness for every worker. 

Minister Lee also pointed out that he has just served full four months since taking up the position at the Council of Labor Affairs. Although there have been many satisfactory results, there are still some regrets. The draft for setting up a monitoring institution for the pension did not manage to pass at the Legislative Yuan this session. He is hoping that after the Council’s effort and urgent appeal, the draft will pass and be legislated at the next session, so that billions of Taiwanese dollars of workers’ pensions will be properly invested under a safe and benefiting system. 

• Source:Department of General Planning
• Publication Date:2006-01-19
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