CLA to amend family leave act Ma
Post on: 2011-08-30 By: admin
UpdatedTuesday, August 30, 2011 11:49pmTWN,The China Post news staffCLA to amend family leave act: MaPresident Ma Ying-jeou yesterday instructed the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) to revise the Gender Equality in Employment Act to allow employees to enjoy paid family leave during the typhoon period.
Ma issued the instruction in response to strong complaints from parents about the difficulty to take care of their children as they had to work as usual but school and kindergarten classes were suspended yesterday as a result of Typhoon Nanmadol hitting southern Taiwan.On Sunday night, the governments of northern counties and cities announced the suspension of all levels of classes without allowing “typhoon leave” for general employees. As a result, parents criticized their local governments, saying that they couldn't simultaneously go to work and take care of their children. To counter, Ma said at the Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center yesterday morning that on his way to the center he already reached a consensus with Premier Wu Den-yi to instruct the CLA to amend the Gender Equality in Employment Act to settle the problem.Ma said that since 2002, government employees have been allowed to take paid family leave for seven days a year, but employees at private enterprises are not allowed to do so. According to the existing regulations of the Gender Equality in Employment Act, employees may request unpaid family leave for a maximum of seven days a year to take care of family members. “Allowing paid family leave is good news for employees, but employers would oppose it,” Ma said. “Nevertheless, it would be conducive to employers over the long term.” He stressed that the government will continue creating a friendly environment for young couples to give birth to more babies, so as to boost the nation's birth rate. In response to Ma's instructions, Chen Hui-ling, director of the Department of Labor Standards under the CLA, said that her department will soon invite representatives from both labor and management groups as well as scholars to discuss the issue and work out revisions to the Gender Equality in Employment Act.Chen said that whether family leave for employees will be fully paid or half paid, and whether it will be incorporated into causal leave will be subject to thorough discussions among the participants.She continued that under the existing regulations of the act, employees can take unpaid family leave, but employers can't take such days into account in determining whether to grant them a full attendance award per month.Also yesterday, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin said he hoped local enterprises to take a lenient attitude toward those who take family leave during typhoon days. Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%.Click hereSharePrintEmailWrite a CommentEnter your comments - 3000 characters maxType in image codeSubmitReceive China Post promosRespond to this email
NationalBreaking NewsUpdatedTuesday, August 30, 2011 11:47pmTWN▪CWB revises forecast on Nanmadol rains▪Local player win doubles title in US Open warm-up▪MAC official cites China military actions as barrier▪Taiwanese writer claims major award in Malaysia▪Over 35,000 soldiers being readied as typhoon nearsMoreMost Read▪Nanmadol forces southern evacuations▪Maker of 'JailBreakMe' site claims upcoming Apple internship in tweet▪Tony Tan wins Singapore election▪Irene hits New Jersey shore, shuts down NYC▪US kills al-Qaida's No. 2: officialsSponsors▪Buy china wholesale products from reliable chinese wholesalers on DHgate.com!▪Save 70% for hotel in Shanghai and 6000 hotels, in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and all China.▪B2BGlow is Wholesale B2B Marketplace Directory for Manufacturers, Suppliers, Exporters, Importers and Buyers.▪Get the best deals for Guangzhou Hotels or choose from more than 10,000 hotels in 499 Chinese cities.▪Find great real time deals on China Flights. Book flights to China or China domestic flights 24/7.
Copyright © 19992011 The China Post. Breaking news from Taiwan, China and the world.
Article original from: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2011/08/30/315031/CLA-to.htm
