• Last updated:2021-11-03

Policies & Regulations

• Amendments to Enforcement Rules of Labor Standards Act Announced June 16, 2017

In compliance with newly stipulated regulations on the five-day work week, the Ministry of Labor issued amendments to the Enforcement Rules of the Labor Standards Act on June 16, 2017. The amendments provide explanations to the principles behind the enabling statutes and supply further clarification.

• Wage for Unused Annual Paid Leave Earned within Average Wage Calculation Period to be Included in Average Wage Calculation

According to Article 38 of the Labor Standards Act, if a worker has unused annual paid leave because of the termination of annual period or termination of contract, regardless of the reasons for the untaken leave, employers must pay wages to workers in accordance with the number of leave days remaining; if such wages were earned within the average wage calculation period, they shall be included in average wage calculations.

News Outlook

• National Training Center for WorldSkills Competition Inaugurated in Hopes of Cultivating More Top Competitive Athletes

The National Training Center for WorldSkills Competition was officially unveiled on June 9, 2017 at the Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan Regional Branch of the Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor. Labor Minister Lin Mei-chu participated in the inauguration ceremony and expressed great hopes that the training center will become a pillar of support for athletes by strengthening their skills and mindset through more professional and diversified training methods, thereby ultimately cultivating greater numbers of outstanding competitive athletes.

• Creating a Friendly and Healthy Workplace by Inviting Enterprises to Participate in Employee Assistance Program Courses

To encourage enterprises in the promotion of the physical and mental health of their workers, the Ministry of Labor offers courses of Employee Assistance Programs, the focuses of which include workplace health, employee care, crisis management, and other topics, thereby providing enterprises with the professional expertise in the planning of Employee Assistance Programs. Courses are available in Taipei City and Hsinchu City in September. For more information, please visit the Work-Life Balance website (https://wlb.mol.gov.tw/).

• Summer is Peak Season for Occupational Injuries at Construction Sites, OSHA Calls on Employers to Strengthen Construction Safety

According to past statistics, summer (June to August) is the season during which occupational injuries in construction industry are most likely to occur in Taiwan. July, in particular, has a 34% higher occurrence rate compared to the annual monthly average, with accidental falls the highest in percentage among all injury types, followed by electric shocks. The Ministry of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reminding employers that working outdoors during summer means working in hot weather conditions under which workers sweat more and are more easily fatigued. Inadequate safety at construction sites means workers are more prone to occupational injuries. In order to effectively prevent disasters from happening, employers shall urge workers to abide by safety operation procedures (SOP) and also implement thoroughly management practices for both construction safety and health.

• Ministry of Labor Continues to Improve Effectiveness of Labor Legal Aid and Help Workers Fight for Rights

In order to fully exert the functions of labor legal aid, in October 2016 the Ministry of Labor further expanded remuneration support for legal representation fees incurred by labor or trade union officers during adjudication to protect collective labor rights. The Ministry officially launched the litigation support information integration system on January 1, 2017, which further integrates information on  labor litigation support in each county (city) government for more effective use of resources. The Ministry states that it began promoting the Labor Legal Aid Project in 2009 by providing remuneration and other assistance to labor attorneys and has continued to expand relevant supportive measures to reduce the difficulties encountered by workers during the litigation process. As of June 30, 2017, the Ministry had provided assistance in 19,834 cases and helped workers obtain more than NT$2.4 billion entitled to their rights.

• Source:Department of General Planning
• Publication Date:2017-08-03
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