President Tsai Ing-wen has called on the country’s business leaders to embrace the government’s efforts on labor reform.
Tsai was speaking Thursday while meeting representatives of a national industrial association. She said she understands that industry needs workers with more flexible working hours while workers want better wages and more holidays.
The president discussed the much criticized recent draft amendment to the Labor Standards Act, saying the government will work hard to promote it to the public.
"I hope to promote conversation [between workers and employers] in order to achieve a win-win situation in terms of holidays, wages, and overtime policies. While the new [labor] policies have yet to be approved, the government will continue to arrange holidays according to the current Labor Standards Act," Tsai said.
In a Facebook post after the meeting, Tsai called on business leaders in Taiwan to be more responsible, give employees proper wages and benefits, and avoid harming the environment. Tsai said in her post that only when businesses treat their workers properly do they truly help themselves and help pull Taiwan’s economy out of its slump.