[International] EU Emphasizes Gig Worker Rights, Hung Chen-hsun: Taiwan's Legislative Thinking Aligns with International Conventions

The 7th Taiwan-EU Labor Consultation Meeting has commenced. Minister of Labor Hung Chen-hsun pointed out that Taiwan's legislative thinking for the special law on gig workers shares many similarities with international conventions. In response to the global trend against forced labor, the government is comprehensively strengthening labor rights and assisting businesses in reducing trade risks, transforming challenges into international competitiveness. Minister of Labor Hung Chen-hsun led a delegation to Brussels on the 17th to attend the 7th Taiwan-EU Labor Consultation Meeting and was interviewed by CNA. Taiwan's "Act for the Protection of Gig Worker Rights and Management of Gig Platforms" (Gig Worker Special Law) was passed by the Legislative Yuan in its third reading in January this year and promulgated by the President, with an official launch scheduled for July 21st. This meeting involved in-depth discussions on issues related to the digital platform economy. Hung Chen-hsun stated that the labor challenges brought about by the platform economy are a global issue, not unique to Taiwan. Recently, the International Labour Conference (ILC) held in Geneva, Switzerland, adopted a convention concerning the labor rights of platform workers. He further explained that cross-comparisons reveal that many aspects covered by the special law are similar to the objectives of the ILC convention, including gig workers' remuneration protection, appeal and clarification mechanisms for deactivation, transparency in algorithm information collection, occupational safety and health requirements during deliveries, and social insurance, which the convention particularly emphasizes. Hung Chen-hsun revealed that during this consultation meeting, experts from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion (DG EMPL) and several participating countries highly commended Taiwan for enacting the special law on gig workers and for its in-depth approach. In response to countries like the Netherlands and Lithuania sharing their practical experiences in translating EU directives into domestic law during the meeting, Hung Chen-hsun noted that various countries are also considering how to balance protecting workers' rights with maintaining industry innovation and flexibility when regulating the platform economy. Hung Chen-hsun emphasized that the EU and the international community both stress "multilateral social dialogue." Understanding and communication among stakeholders such as platforms, platform workers (like gig workers), and consumers can help find common ground and consensus on complex issues. In addition to the platform economy, "forced labor" in global supply chains was also a focal point of this Taiwan-EU Labor Consultation Meeting. Hung Chen-hsun said that forced labor is no longer just a human rights issue but also involves trade risks. As Taiwan's role in the global supply chain becomes increasingly important, more countries will scrutinize Taiwanese supply chain manufacturers with international standards. Therefore, if Taiwan can fulfill its responsibilities, it will enhance the international trust and competitiveness of its businesses. In fact, some domestic manufacturers have informed the Ministry of Labor that effectively protecting human rights does indeed help consolidate competitiveness and gain trust. Regarding the government's role in this process, Hung Chen-hsun outlined two major tasks: first, assisting businesses in aligning with international requirements and reducing trade risks; second, helping industries control and reduce the costs incurred by this alignment. He explained that based on past experience, effectively preventing forced labor does not necessarily lead to a significant increase in costs. The Ministry of Labor plans to achieve this goal through concrete measures such as "transparency in foreign recruitment fees," "streamlining processes," and "improving the evaluation of employment agencies." Hung Chen-hsun added that the Ministry of Labor published the "Reference Guidelines for Enterprises on Preventing Forced Labor" on February 13th of this year. This is a cross-ministerial collaboration that requires close coordination with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and others. Addressing labor rights issues while simultaneously reducing trade-related risks and uncertainties is something the entire ruling team is currently prioritizing. This year marks the 7th Taiwan-EU Labor Consultation Meeting. Hung Chen-hsun admitted that Taiwan faces numerous challenges in international participation, thus cherishing this mechanism for deepening and institutionalizing exchanges. The fact that this meeting has reached its 7th iteration also signifies that the EU views Taiwan as an important partner for long-term exchange and cooperation on labor issues. He pointed out that Taiwan-EU cooperation is evolving beyond information exchange into a substantive cooperative mechanism. For example, in occupational safety and health, a delegation from the Ministry of Labor visited Bilbao, Spain, this week to meet with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA). In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) disaster reduction plan last year referenced the EU's approaches to risk assessment and risk management. Hung Chen-hsun mentioned that last year, the Director-General of the European Commission's DG EMPL, Mario Nava, personally led a delegation to visit Taiwan, and this year, he led a delegation to reciprocate the visit to Brussels. The caliber of the meetings is increasing, and the cooperation between the two sides is deepening. He emphasized that an increasing number of labor issues are being discussed, whether it's the platform economy and forced labor focused on in this meeting, or the impact of AI technology on the job market. This indicates that these are no longer domestic issues but challenges arising from the development of international supply chains. Therefore, Taiwan's labor policy planning and execution processes must align with international standards. Through such platform mechanisms and interactions, Taiwan can draw upon EU experiences while its legislative experiences also have the opportunity to be seen and referenced. (Editor: Liu Hsiang-hua)