CLA to promote flexible hours

2001/8/29

The China Post staff

The Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has approved draft revisions of some labor regulations to give greater flexibility to employees' working time. The move is estimated to help save about NT$540 million in overtime pay each year for employers.

The CLA took the action in accordance with the 53 proposals adopted by the conference of the presidential Economic Development Advisory Council (EDAC) concluded on Sunday.

The CLA's suggested revisions of rules in the Labor Standards Law will permit female workers to accept up to a maximum of three hours overtime per day, the same as their male counterparts, pending agreements reached between employers and labor unions. But the maximum working time should not exceed 46 hours a week.

Companies will also be allowed to assign female workers to night shifts.

The current rule permits companies to allocate one day's working hours to other days during a period of two weeks under the flexible working time mechanism.

But the new proposals of the CLA will expand the mechanism to three different arrangements.

Employers may spread one day's working hours to other days in a period of one week to more flexibly arrange working time according to orders and workload.

But the maximum working time will be limited to 10 hours a day, 48 hours a week, and 84 hours during a two-week period.

They may also implement a flexible working schedule for a period of eight weeks to arrange shifts for 24-hour nonstop manufacturing operations.

But the maximum working time will be limited to eight hours a day, 48 hours a week, and an average of 42 hours in an eight-week period.

In order to meet the demands for different numbers of workers to cope with sharp fluctuations in business orders for peak seasons and off seasons, companies may impose flexible working hours during a period of one whole year.

But the maximum working time will be limited to

eight hours per day and 48 hours a week while the average weekly working time will be confined to 40 hours during the one-year period.

CLA officials said the flexible working time system will help companies speed up production when necessary but avoid hefty overtime payments when they don't have enough work for all employees.

They will continue discussing revisions of other relevant regulations with labor affairs experts, representatives from labor groups, executives representing employers' organizations, and actuaries.

The council is scheduled to submit its suggested changes in the rules to the Executive Yuan (Cabinet) next week for approval. The Cabinet will then forward the proposals to the Legislative Yuan for ratification when lawmakers open a new session on Sept. 18.

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