Taiwan's Ministry of Labor (MOL) said on Friday (Dec. 27) that employers must pay overtime to employees who work on Jan. 11, 2020, the day of the country's presidential and legislative elections.
To encourage voting, the MOL has designated Election Day as a public holiday.
"Workers who are eligible to vote but are scheduled to work on this day should get a paid day off, but those who choose to work on this day should get premium pay for the hours he or she works," said Hsieh Chien-chien (謝倩蒨), director of the ministry's Department of Labor Standards and Equal Employment.
Employers are required to ask for employees' consent to work on this day. Penalties will be imposed if an employer is found keeping employees from exercising their right to vote, said Hsieh.
"If a worker, for example, leaves the office for two hours to vote and returns to work for six hours, he or she is entitled to premium pay for the six hours," she added. However, if a worker who has Jan. 11 off comes in to work, they should be paid overtime wages according to Article 24 of the Labor Standards Act.
Employers who fail to give employees a compensation day or premium wages for working on this day are subject to a maximum fine of NT$1 million (US$33,200).
Source：Taiwan News
