Taiwan legislators propose pandemic leave subsidies for parents

Legislators in Taiwan have proposed an amendment to the law that would grant COVID-19 pandemic-related leave subsidies to parents, potentially totalling up to NT$10 billion (US$0.36 billion).

The proposal would allow workers who have to take unpaid leave to take care of their children who are younger than 12 years, or attending elementary school, to apply for the subsidies, reports Taipei Times.

Many parents from low-income families have been forced to take unpaid leave to care for their children due to the COVID-19 outbreak in recent days, said Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lai Hsiang-ling.

She added that some firms have refused to allow their employees to take a special paid leave for such an event, and instead asked them to utilise their vacation leave, which contravenes workers’ rights. 

Lai also noted that many SMEs cannot afford to grant their staff a special leave for such a circumstance. 

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“It highlights the necessity of writing into law the rights of workers to take pandemic-related special leave bolstered by subsidy payments,” she said. 

On Tuesday, Taiwan reported 542 new domestic COVID-19 cases. It extended its raised COVID-19 alert level until June 14, which means restrictions on gatherings will remain in place.