CLA Plans to Penalize Employers for Overwork Deaths

Taipei, March 10, 2011 (CENS)--In the wake of the occurrence of several overwork deaths, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) has decided to penalize employers or officials in charge for causing such incidents, reported Wan Ju-hsuan, minister of CLA yesterday (March 9).

Wang pointed out that the CLA will revise the Labor Standards Law to raise the administrative penalties or publicize the names of companies violating related regulations. Employers or director supervisors may even face criminal responsibility for overwork deaths.

Wang made remark at the social welfare, hygiene, and environmental protection committee at the Legislative Yuan yesterday. She reported that CLA examination shows that some 20% of local factories violated related regulations for overtime works, adding that the labor insurance program made compensations for 57 overwork deaths during 2007-2010. Labor groups requested imposing criminal responsibilities on employers asking their employers to undertake overtime works over a long time.

Presently, violators of overtime works are subject to fines ranging NT$6,000-60,000, under the Labor Standard Law, but such fines seem to lack deterring effect, as evidenced by the frequent occurrence of overwork deaths recently, according to Wang. Therefore, the CLA has decided to revise the Labor Standard Law raising the maximum fine to NT$200,000, as well publicizing the names of factories and chief executives of violating firms.

Another option under consideration is infliction of criminal charges on responsible executives or managers for deaths caused by overtime works by adding such an article to the Labor Standard Law.

Wang, however, appears leaning to increase fines on violators, in view of the protracted process involving criminal charge.