The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday received more criticism for failing to observe legislative procedures during a review on Monday of a controversial amendment to the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法).
With the aim of the amendment going into effect early next year, the DPP hoped to push it through legislative committee review by Thursday at the latest to pave the way for its passage by Dec. 31.
The bill, which includes several revisions aimed at increasing flexibility for work hours, is highly controversial and strongly opposed by some labor groups.
Photo: CNA
Two of eight revisions were approved before the DPP decided just before 10pm on Monday to pass the remaining six as a package, in effect ramming them through committee review without discussion.
The measures are now to be sent for cross-party consultation, which can last up to a month, before the amendment can be voted on by a plenary session.
The lights in the committee room went out for about 60 seconds, adding to the bizarre day.
Earlier, during a scheduled daytime meeting, lawmakers scuffled with each other and a speaker was shoved from the podium before the meeting adjourned at 6:30pm.
DPP Legislator Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), the committee’s convener, said the time allotted to each lawmaker to ask questions on each of the eight proposed articles would be no longer than six minutes.
One after another, opposition lawmakers questioned whether Lin was “overstepping her authority” as the convener by deciding on the time allotment, with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) saying that there was no provision in written legislative procedures that imposes such a limit.
Lin did not respond to their concerns, telling them instead that they should “treasure” their time to ask questions about the amendments.
The fracas ensued, followed by the committee adjourning for a 30-minute break before resuming for the night session, which was originally scheduled to run until midnight.
Taipei Department of Labor Commissioner Lai Hsiang-lin (賴香伶) yesterday criticized the attempt to hastily pass the amendment, saying that it would leave local governments unprepared and that she was considering taking a few days off in a show of support with labor rights groups.
“The quality and procedure of the review held by the Legislative Yuan’s committee [on Monday] were unfortunate,” Lai said. “Such an important amendment to the law, which concerns work hours, should have accepted more opinions from different perspectives, including suggestions made by local governments and academics.”
Due to concerns about workers only having a required minimum of eight hours of rest between shifts, the previous amendment to the act extended the minimum rest time to 11 hours, which has not been enforced over the past year since its enactment, she said.
Loosening restrictions stipulated by the act puts part of the duty of monitoring labor conditions on local governments, such as requiring companies with more than 30 employees to report exceptional work conditions, Lai said, adding that local governments have very limited authority to conduct such monitoring.
The proposed amendment would allow the definition of exceptional work conditions to be decided through negotiations between workers and employers, she said, adding that whether local governments could impose fines on companies that do not provide meeting minutes as evidence has not been decided, meaning there is ambiguity in allowing self-management and enforcement of the regulations.
The Executive Yuan and the legislature should explain to the public why they are aiming to reduce the minimum rest time back to eight hours, she said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS