Despite fewer employees being on unpaid leave over the past couple months, the number of companies voluntarily reporting unpaid leave to the Council of Labor Affairs had increased, a recent survey by the council showed.
At the end of last month, the number of companies forcing unpaid leave on their workers had risen to 903, up 56 from 847 in the middle of last month.
However, the number of workers on unpaid leave decreased from 181,564 to 178,946.
The council’s explanation for the increase in companies reporting unpaid leave is that some mid to small-sized companies could be hoping to qualify for subsidies based on their unpaid leave status.
Judging from the decreasing number of people on unpaid leave, Sun Bi-shia (孫碧霞), director of the council’s Department of Labor Standards, said: “The number [of people on unpaid leave] should continue its downward trend gradually and steadily.”
Although government officials were optimistic about the results, labor associations remained skeptical.
Son Yu-lian (孫友聯), secretary general of the Taiwan Labor Front, said the decrease in the reported number of people on unpaid leave is because more of the workers are becoming “discouraged.”
He said many workers may have given up on being called back to work and decided to start their own business or find other means of support.
“The government should require companies to submit their financial reports before being allowed to put workers on unpaid leave, so that government officials can evaluate whether the unpaid leave is truly necessary,” he said.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS