TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s labor ministry on Tuesday revised its guidance for legally required workplace meetings, saying worker and employer representatives must attend in person and cannot send substitutes.
CNA reported the ministry said the changes are meant to make workplace talks fairer, clearer, and more effective. The meetings give workers and employers a regular way to discuss workplace issues.
Under the Labor Standards Act, businesses must hold labor-management meetings to improve workplace relations, support cooperation, and raise work efficiency. If a business has a company union, worker representatives must be elected by union members or union member representatives.
Labor relations department Director Wang Hou-wei (王厚偉) said the ministry first issued guidance for the meetings in 2019. He said the rules were updated because workplace practices have changed and the meetings should be easier to manage.
The revised guidance says elections for worker representatives should be held during working hours. If a workplace grows and has more workers, local labor authorities may ask the employer to adjust the number of worker and employer representatives.
For online meetings, participants should use the same names listed in the official meeting records. The ministry said this will help confirm who is attending and avoid confusion.
The ministry also said workplaces with 30 or more workers must hold their own labor-management meetings. They cannot combine meetings with another workplace or business site, because each workplace may have different worker concerns.
Wang said the meetings must be held regularly and at times that workers and employers can expect. A business may set a meeting cycle of three months or less, but it must hold at least one meeting during each cycle.
Before a meeting starts, the chair must check whether more than half of the representatives from each side are present. If either side does not meet that requirement, the meeting must be postponed and held on another date.
The ministry said the attendance rule helps protect the validity of decisions made at the meeting. It also ensures that both workers and employers have enough representatives present before issues are discussed.
Wang reminded businesses of all sizes that they must hold regular labor-management meetings as required by law. The ministry has included meeting records in reviews for companies applying for stock market listings and for employers applying to hire migrant workers.
