After Typhoon Nepartak inflicted serious damage on Taitung over the past weekend, members of the Legislative Yuan proposed for typhoon holidays to be incorporated into the Labour Standards Act on Monday.
Labour Minister Kuo Fang-yu stated that “no country has done so” in the past. However, he said that the Ministry of Labour supports the current plan.
READ: Typhoon Nepartak ravages east, south Taiwan, leaves 3 dead, 142 injured
When answering questions from Hung Tzu-yung of the New Power Party, Kuo said that typhoon holidays are technically not legally designated holidays.
Since typhoons have not yet been incorporated into the Labour Standards Act, the government cannot issue any penalties to violators who ignore work and school suspension notices in the wake of a typhoon, he explained.
READ: Thousands flee as super typhoon barrels towards Taiwan
In order to incorporate typhoon holidays into the Labour Standards Act, the Labour Ministry will have to carry out discussion with related parties, such as industry, about the details of the content before making revisions to current laws, Kuo said.
“The MOL has currently set aside NT$200 million (US$6.22 million) from the Employment Security Fund to assist labourers in Taitung to rebuild their homes,” Kuo said. Such allowances include a temporary work allowance, labour insurance, insurance premium subsidies and a holdover tax.
The Labour Ministry will provide the Taitung county government with 1,000 temporary workers to assist with cleanup after the typhoon.
The temporary workers will be given NT$120 per hour, though they will only be allowed to clock a maximum of 176 hours per month over the three months.
Those affected by the typhoon can get a six-month subsidy for insurance in categories such as labour, employment, farmers or national pension premiums. People or organisations who cannot pay their insurance premiums on time due to the natural disaster can also request a six-month payment delay, said the MOL.