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Rules clarified on
days off for menstrual discomfort
PAINFUL PROCEDURE: A DPP legislator said EVA
Airways was intentionally making it difficult for its female staff to claim the
time off work to which they were legally entitled
By Vincent Y. Chao / Staff Reporter
Democratic Progressive Party
Legislator Huang Sue-ying, left, talks at a press conference organized by her
and Taiwan Women¡¦s Link at the Legislative Yuan yesterday.
Photo: CNA
Employers could face fines of up to
NT$100,000 if found guilty of discouraging female employees from taking sick
leave for menstrual pain through administrative procedures, the Council of Labor
Affairs said yesterday.
Female employees are entitled to take one sick day off per month for menstrual
pain or discomfort under current labor laws, which do not require workers to
provide supporting documents or fill in administrative forms the same day.
The clarification comes in the wake of a complaint made by a flight attendant
who said that her colleagues were often discouraged from taking the days off and
that they were administratively disciplined and blacklisted when they failed to
present medical documentation the same day.
The flight attendant, who wished to remain anonymous over fears of reprisal, saw
her case taken up by a legislator yesterday who called the procedures
¡§unbelievable¡¨ and ¡§a serious violation of the law.¡¨
¡§The relevant procedures show that the business clearly and purposefully created
difficulties for its employees by asking them to visit a specified hospital to
receive medical documentation and hand it to their supervisor all on the same
day,¡¨ Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Shu-ying (¶À²Q^) told a press
conference.
A copy of the procedures, which the flight attendant said were instituted this
year and were e-mailed internally by the company, was given to reporters
yesterday.
Its authenticity could not be confirmed, but the e-mail states that the rule
applies during national holidays, the Lunar New Year holiday, weekends and the
busy season between July and August. Regulations for other periods were not
mentioned.
The e-mail said that the changes were made ¡§in order to fulfill the efficient
use of human resources and avoid creating frequent changes to the schedule of
other crew members.¡¨
Huang later told reporters that the airline company in question was EVA Airways.
The council said that while those restrictions may not of themselves go against
the law, which allows employers to ask for medical documentation, the procedures
were ¡§unnecessary¡¨ and ¡§unreasonable.¡¨
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
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