Legislature passes law revision to allow delay of workers' retirement

Taipei, July 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed a labor law amendment on Monday, enabling employers to waive the statutory retirement age of 65 for employees that wish to continue working.

Under the amendment to Article 54 of the Labor Standards Act, workers who have reached the statutory retirement age of 65 years can continue working following consultation with their employers.

The existing law stipulates that an employer shall not force a worker to retire unless the worker reaches the age of 65 or is unable to perform his or her duties due to a disability.

The law amendment enables employers to encourage healthy older workers to continue contributing in the workplace and ensure the rights of those who wish to continue working, the Ministry of Labor said in a statement after the legislation.

The ministry said that under Article 12 of the Middle-aged and Elderly Employment Promotion Act, employers are already prohibited from imposing "differential treatments" in terms of wages and benefits on employees and job seekers based on their age.

Under the newly passed amendment, however, employers are not allowed to subject their employees who agree to continue working after reaching the statutory retirement age of 65 to "disadvantageous working conditions," such as lower wages.

Any violations are subject to a fine ranging from NT$300,000 (US$9,212) to NT$1.5 million, with the name of the offender being published, the ministry said.