LABOR ACT AMENDMENT PASSES PRELIMINARY REVIEW|勞基法初審通過 爭議條文將朝野協商

Yesterday was quite a day for our lawmakers, because two important yet very controversial amendments are being reviewed, respectively, at two separate legislative committees. You might have already heard, but one of them is a change to the wording in the Taiwanese civil code that will allow same-sex couples to get married like just any other heterosexual couple. It's the government latest bid to end gender and sexuality-based discrimination and ensure marriage equality for all people in Taiwan. Yet the move was met with opposition from civil groups that some say might have the backing of certain religious interest groups, and many have questioned whether this could be setting a bad example for the separation of church and state. But before digging into that, let's first look at the other battle at the legislature yesterday, which was equally controversial. At the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, legislators finally agreed to approve several amendments to the Labor Standard Act. However, the items that are highly contentious, such as the 1 fixed day off and 1 flexible rest day policy, the axing of 7 national holidays, and the plan to increase annual leave for workers, have being shelved and are now pending further negotiation among caucuses. Labor group activists shouted slogans to protest against DPP's plan to cut the seven national holidays. They burned paper money, condemned conflicts at the public hearing held on November 16, saying that democracy is dead. ==KUO KUAN-CHUN, Workers' Struggle Alliance member == Chen Ying left the public hearing with ten to twenty police surrounding her. During the scuffle, our representative was not able to approach her. At the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee, DPP legislators reviewed amendments to the Labor Standards Act. Before the meeting started, committee convener Chen Ying, together with other DPP legislators, condemned the chaos at the public hearing. ==Chen Ying, DPP legislator == I condemn such violence. Yesterday (November 16), I waved my hands to call the police in. However, it was already too late. The KMT caucus asked the labor bill to be reviewed carefully. They are against the seven national holidays cut and the "one fixed day off, one flexible rest day off "policy. ==WANG YU-MIN, KMT legislator== The KMT caucus and KMT Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene committee members are all for the two fixed days off policy. We are against the seven national holidays cut. ==KUO FANG-YU, Minister of Labor== We hope there can be a more flexible way to deal with the problem. The proposed two fixed days off policy does not allow switching shifts and working overtime. Conflicting opinions among different caucuses slow down the review process. The NPP caucus, which earlier proposed to give workers two fixed days off, is now promoting a new version of the" one fixed day off, one flexible rest day off" policy. Under this new version, workers will be compensated not just with money but with another day off when they are required to work on the flexible rest day. ==HUANG KUO-CHANG, NPP legislator== In today's (November 17) meeting, I never questioned DPP legislators why they changed the two fixed days off policy that they have proposed before. There is no need to mention such a thing again. After over 10 hours, the labor bill finally completed its initial review around 10 p.m. However, the controversial "one fixed day off, one flexible rest day off" policy and increase in days of annual leave are left to be negotiated. DPP caucus whip Ko Chien-ming said he hopes the bill can pass its third reading by the end of this year. TRANSLATED BY ARIEL HSIEH 不滿民進黨堅持勞工砍七天假，勞團代表喊著口號抗議，還焚燒紙錢，抗議昨天公聽會時發生的衝突事件，也抗議民主已死。 ==工鬥代表 郭冠均== 陳瑩她簇擁著 十幾二十名的警力離開 在推擠所謂的衝突當中 我們的代表甚至於難以靠近陳瑩 立法院衛環委員會內，則是針對勞基法的修正草案，逐條審查，開會前，陳瑩和民進黨立委，同聲譴責昨天公聽會的混亂。 ==民進黨立委 陳瑩== 譴責這暴力的行為 特別因為昨天那樣的狀況 我手有舉起來揮 請警衛進來 但是根本也來不及 而國民黨團要求嚴審嚴查，強調堅持周休二例及不砍七天假的立場，和勞動部長郭芳煜吵得不可開交。 ==國民黨立委 王育敏== 國民黨立院黨團 我們在座的衛環委員 我們都支持週休二例 加上不砍七天假 ==勞動部長 郭芳煜== 我們是希望能夠 這個比較有彈性的做法 週休二例真的是很硬性 也不能調班 也不能夠加班 由於各黨團意見相左，整個審查過程進度緩慢，原本支持周休兩例的時代力量黨團，也突然改推「一例一假」，要求休假日勞工出勤，要給加倍薪資和補假一天，又和民進黨團發生爭執。 ==時代力量立委 黃國昌== 像我今天在會議上 我也從來沒有 去騎民進黨的委員說 你們之前自己不是提兩例 怎麼現在又變 這種話就不要再提了嘛 ==民進黨團總召 柯建銘== 大家要了解 朝野協商的結論 就是說今天 就是到最後 還是要議決出委員會 由於審查進度緩慢，一整天下來，只有一例一休等部分爭議條文，委員表決後、送朝野協商。因為民進黨表現出草案今天一定要送出委員會的決心，勞動部長郭芳煜表示，今天已經有做好挑燈夜戰的準備。 記者陳佳鑫 張梓嘉 台北報導