Five-day workweek to kick off next year under amended labor law

Want China Times, CNA 2015-05-17

Service personnel work at a restaurant in Taipei, April 21. (File photo/
Fang Chun-che)

Lin Por-fong. (Photo/ Hung His-lung)

An amendment to the Labor Standards Act in Taiwan cleared the Legislative Yuan Friday, paving the way for a five-day workweek and for working hours per week to be reduced to 40 hours.

The amendments will be put into force Jan. 1, 2016.

Under the current labor law, normal working hours per day cannot exceed eight hours and working hours per two weeks cannot exceed 84 hours. If employers are found to be in violation of the law, they will be subject to fines of between NT$20,000 (US$657) and NT$300,000 (US$9,860).

Also, employers cannot cut their workers' wages under the pretense of "adjusting" normal working hours, the revised law stipulates.

Under the current law, employers must prepare attendance books for workers and keep them for one year. The amended law states that the attendance records should be kept for five years and that employers will face fines of between NT$90,000 (US$2,985) and NT$450,000 (US$14,790) if found to be in violation.

The revised law also stipulates that the attendance records should note the hours and minutes worked. When a worker asks for a copy of his or her attendance record, employers cannot refuse them.

The amended law also allows workers to adjust their working hours according to their circumstances, meaning that employers will have to, based on the needs of workers who have to take care of their families, allow them flexibility to adjust their start and finishing times within a range of one hour without changing the normal working hours per day.

The Ministry of Labor hailed the amended law as a "new milestone" in 14 years, referring to the last amendment in 2001, when working hours were reduced to 84 hours per two weeks, saying that it puts Taiwan on a par with developed countries.

It will also help workers to maintain a balance between their work and home life, and help boost economic and social development, according to the ministry.