INDUSTRY CALLS FOR REVISION ON CONTROVERSIAL WORKWEEK PLAN|一例一休爭議 工商界籲再修勞基法解決

The "one fixed day off, one flexible day off" rule for creating a five-day workweek has attracted a wide range of criticism since its implementation early this year. Industry and business groups are calling for more changes to the law to solve the problems, but labor groups say that corporations are feeling the impact because they have been too demanding of workers in the past. The Ministry of Labor said that all sides are welcome to express their views and that the Ministry will hold further hearings on the subject. The new rules on days off have attracted controversy since they went into effect this year. Many say that the rules are too hard on small and medium enterprises, who must deal with rising personnel costs, and are deterring investment in Taiwan. Industry and business groups say further amendments to the law are needed. ==LIN PO-FENG Chair, Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce Taiwan== The current problems encountered with the Labor Standards Act cannot be solved with new interpretations or looser restrictions. Legislative amendments are still needed. Lin said that companies are looking to save on purchases or change scheduling in response to the higher costs created by the new rules, and are increasing prices only as a last resort. CNAIC Standing Director Hsu Hsu-tung also said that the legislative amendments or executive orders are needed to resolve the controversy brought by the new rules. ==HSU HSU-TUNG Standing Director, Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce, Taiwan== The government is trying, but it's not so easy to have so many different industries all comply with the same rules. ==LIN MEI-CHU Minister of Labor== They are not insisting on legislative amendments, but they do say that they are having some problems adapting to the new rules. Of course, when they encounter difficulties, they will request a change of some kind. Labor groups say that corporations are feeling such an impact because they were too demanding of workers in the past. ==SUN YU-LIEN Sec.-Gen., Taiwan Labor Front== I think the corporate leaders talk about this kind of impact because they have been violating the law for so long. If the new rules have such a negative effect, this just shows that they were too demanding on Taiwan's workers, they didn't give adequate rest to their workers. Labor groups say that the five-day workweek was introduced in Taiwan as early as 2000. The new rules represent only stricter regulations on overtime during days off. They say that the government must continue with its policies in order to lower the number of working hours, otherwise the problem of overwork will never be solved. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 一例一休上路爭議不斷、引發各界批評，工商界疾呼政府應該透過修法解決。不過勞團認為，企業界會覺得衝擊大、是因為他們過去對勞工太苛刻。勞動部則表示，如果各界有質疑都可以提出意見，也會再開公聽會讓大家來表達意見。 一例一休上路後各界爭議不斷，擔心中小企業會撐不下去，因為人事成本增加，也不利外資、台資在台灣投資，工商界建議政府要盡快修法解決。 ==工商協進會理事長 林伯豐== 勞基法到目前為止 所碰到的問題 不是解釋或鬆綁能夠解決的問題 所以應該還是要立法 林伯豐表示，一例一休所產生的營運成本增加，只能壓縮成本以對，像是減少採購及人員的安排、排班控制...等，不得已時才會考慮調高價格，工商協進會常務理事徐旭東也認為，政府處理一例一休上路後的爭議，要修法或是用行政解釋方式處理。 ==工商協進會常務理事 徐旭東== 政府的確也在想辦法 但是本身這麼多不同行業 要一次全部遵守不那麼容易 ==勞動部長 林美珠== 他們並沒有強烈的說要修法 但是他們有說明 他們在調適上面 的確碰到了一些問題 當然他們希望說 如果調適到有一些困難的時候 他們當然會提出 類似(修法)的要求 不過勞團認為，企業界會覺得新制上路有這麼大的衝擊，是因為他們過去對勞工太苛刻。 == 台灣勞工陣線秘書長 孫友聯== 我覺得工商大老所謂的衝擊 是長期建立在 他們違法的狀態之上 如果說一例一休有衝擊的話 表示過去他們對台灣勞工 太過苛刻 並沒有給勞工充分的休息 勞團表示，早在2000年以後，台灣已經實行週休二日，為了降低總工時，這次修法是更明確嚴格規定休息日的加班，政府如果想要降低勞工工時，政策就必須要延續，否則未來勞工過勞的問題還是無法解決。 綜合報導