Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday withdrew a proposal to reduce the pay of employees working during a probationary period, following opposition from youth and labor groups, while a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker criticized it as a copy of a Chinese law.
KMT lawmakers, led by Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭), sought to amend the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) to allow employers to cut to 80 percent the standard wage for new workers during their probationary period.
Critics said the measure would exacerbate the already low wages of young workers, while legitimizing an exploitative practice.
Photo: Chen Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said the KMT lawmakers intention with the bill was to duplicate China’s labor laws, to transform Taiwan’s social and legal framework to match that of China.
Niu’s proposal is a direct copy of Article 15 of the China’s Employment Contract Law, Wang said.
“It is laughable to copy from China, as its laws are restrictive and lag behind the rest of the world,” DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said, adding that when seeking ideas for bills, the KMT lawmakers should look at advanced countries and progressive legislation.
Wu questioned whether the KMT was receiving instruction from Beijing upon the return of a delegation of 17 lawmakers led by KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi from a visit to China last week.
Meanwhile, Fu used his authority as party caucus whip to force the alteration of the wording on a separate item to “mainland” instead of “China.”
During a session of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee, DPP legislators raised a motion on government agencies evaluating requests for allowing Taiwanese tour groups to visit China while China continues to engage in acts of military intimidation.
At the direction of Fu, KMT legislators used their majority in the committee to change the word “China” to “mainland” in a sentence stating that Taiwan had not received a response from China. In another sentence that said China had moved the M503 flight path to be “closer to our nation’s restricted airspace,” the word “nation” was changed to “Taiwan.”
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