MINISTRY OF LABOR Order is hereby given, for the revision of "Directions for Business Entities to Convene a Labor-Management Meeting" (former name: Directions for Implementing Labor-Management Meeting of a Business Entity) (revised directions come into force from 7th, July 2026). To make it easier for everyone to understand, the relevant information is listed below, and a presentation is provided for your reference.
This revision includes multiple changes. The following is a comparison of the before and after versions:
| Revised Provision | Previous Version | Revised Version | Reason for Amendment | Practical Impact on Employers |
|---|
| Article 2 – Qualifications of Employee Representatives | The eligibility of employees not covered by the Labor Standards Act (LSA) and managerial personnel was not clearly defined. | Employees not covered by the LSA are expressly granted both the right to vote and the right to stand for election as employee representatives. First-line managerial personnel exercising employer authority may not serve as employee representatives but retain voting rights. | To establish clear and consistent qualification criteria and eliminate disputes. | Employers should review employee eligibility before elections to ensure that qualified employees vote and eligible candidates are nominated, thereby avoiding invalid election results. |
| Article 3 – Enterprises with Three or Fewer Employees | The provisions were relatively brief. | Employers and employees automatically serve as labor-management conference representatives. No election or filing with the competent authority is required. | To simplify administrative procedures for small enterprises. | Small businesses with three or fewer employees are exempt from representative elections and filing procedures, reducing administrative workload. |
| Article 4 – Elections Conducted by Labor Unions | No clear provisions regarding the allocation of representative seats or election procedures. | Labor unions shall determine the allocation of employee representative seats, election methods, and announcements through democratic internal procedures, taking into account workplaces, departments, and job functions. | To enhance fairness and representativeness in elections. | Enterprises with labor unions should establish comprehensive election procedures and maintain proper records. |
| Article 5 – Resources for Elections | No explicit requirement. | Employers are required to provide the necessary funding, equipment, and venues for elections and labor-management conferences, including election expenses, ballot printing, video conferencing equipment, cloud services, and related costs. | To ensure the effective operation of labor-management conferences. | Employers should budget for labor-management conference operations and election-related expenses. |
| Article 6 – Election Announcements | Fewer mandatory announcement items. | Election announcements must include the minimum number of elected representatives of a single gender where employees of one gender account for more than half of the workforce, among other required information. | To promote gender equality in employee representation. | HR departments should review workforce gender composition and update election announcements accordingly. |
| Article 7 – Number of Representatives | No provision addressing rapid workforce expansion. | The competent authority may require employers to review and increase the number of labor-management representatives where workforce growth significantly increases. | To accommodate organizational growth. | Large enterprises experiencing rapid expansion should periodically reassess the number of employee representatives. |
| Article 8 – Alternate Representatives | Succession procedures were unclear. | Alternate representatives may only succeed when a representative resigns or becomes ineligible (e.g., promotion to first-line management). Temporary absence or leave does not constitute a vacancy. | To prevent abuse of the alternate representative system. | Alternate representatives may not replace representatives who are merely absent from a meeting. |
| Article 9 – Meeting Frequency | Required at least one meeting every three months. | Meetings shall be held on a fixed schedule, with intervals not exceeding three months. | To establish a regular meeting mechanism. | Employers are advised to establish quarterly meeting schedules to ensure statutory compliance. |
| Article 11 – Video Conferencing | Very limited provisions regarding virtual meetings. | Comprehensive requirements are introduced, including prior approval, identity verification, attendance records, and ensuring all participants can simultaneously see and hear one another. | To reflect the widespread adoption of remote meetings. | When using platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, employers should retain verifiable attendance records and meeting evidence. |
| Article 14 – Proposal Procedures | No specific provisions. | Proposals submitted before the meeting must be included in the agenda unless exceptional circumstances exist or the proposer agrees otherwise. | To enhance procedural transparency. | HR should not remove proposals from the agenda or replace formal discussion with private communication. |
| Article 15 – Encouraged Discussion Topics | No corresponding provisions. | Employers are encouraged to report on workforce changes, turnover rates, employee welfare, workplace improvements, and other labor-management matters. | To strengthen the function of labor-management conferences. | Employers are encouraged to include workforce analytics and improvement initiatives as standing agenda items. |
| Article 16 – Meeting Minutes | Only required meeting minutes to be prepared. | Employers are encouraged to retain meeting notices, agendas, proposals, attendance records, and minutes for five years. Forgery, falsification, or proxy signatures are expressly prohibited, and employers bear the burden of proof in case of disputes. | To strengthen evidence preservation and prevent misconduct. | Employers should establish both electronic and hard-copy document retention systems for labor-management conference records. |
| Appendices 1–5 | Older formats. | All filing forms, representative lists, succession forms, and meeting minute templates have been updated, including new fields such as "At Least 15 Years of Age," "Current Department and Position," "Union Position," and "Online Filing System." | To align with regulatory amendments and digital administration. | Employers should adopt the updated official templates to avoid rejection by the competent authority. |
When enterprises subsequently hold labor-management meetings, they must conduct them in accordance with the new regulations and promptly correct/amend the following matters:
|
Item |
Recommended Action |
|---|---|
|
1 |
Update the Labor-Management Conference Representative Roster and all related appendices using the latest official templates. |
|
2 |
Establish a fixed Labor-Management Conference schedule, ensuring meetings are held at least once every three months. |
|
3 |
Revise the Labor-Management Conference Operating Procedures to incorporate the new requirements for virtual (video conference) meetings. |
|
4 |
Establish a document retention system for Labor-Management Conference records, with a minimum retention period of five years. |
|
5 |
Revise the employee representative election announcement to include the required gender representation information and other mandatory announcement items. |
|
6 |
Review the eligibility requirements for employee representatives and the procedures governing the succession of alternate representatives. |
|
7 |
Include workforce changes, employee turnover rate, employee welfare, and workplace environment improvements as standing agenda items for every Labor-Management Conference. |
