TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's labor minister announced sweeping sick leave reforms Wednesday (Oct. 15) following the death of an EVA Air flight attendant who worked while ill. Minister Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) told the Legislative Yuan (立法院), Taiwan's parliament, that systemic measures will protect workers from employer retaliation over medical leave. The minister's response addresses mounting public outrage after the flight attendant died Oct. 11 upon returning to Taiwan.
Investigators determined EVA Air (長榮航空) met basic labor standards for working hours and shift intervals, according to the Taoyuan City Labor Inspection Office (桃園市勞檢處). The airline never denied sick leave requests, but certain medical absences impacted employee performance reviews. Labor advocacy groups demanded Tuesday (Oct. 14) that lawmakers amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) to explicitly protect sick leave rights and ban retaliatory actions against worker bonuses.
Minister Hung threatened escalating financial penalties for employers who deny sick leave requests, with fines scaled to business size and violation severity. He cited extensive Ministry of Labor (勞動部) interpretations and judicial precedents establishing attendance bonuses as integral wage components. The minister declared it fundamentally unfair for workers to forfeit entire monthly attendance bonuses over legitimate medical leave, promising comprehensive regulatory protections.
The labor chief encouraged workers to prioritize health over workplace attendance, rejecting cultural attitudes that view working through illness as admirable. Hung acknowledged the complex nature of medical leave situations across different industries and worker demographics. The Ministry of Labor (勞動部) will launch comprehensive policy reviews to strengthen worker protections nationwide. ◼
