TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's legislature, the Legislative Yuan (立法院), passed the "Food Delivery Personnel Rights Protection and Management Act" (外送員權益保障及外送平臺管理法) on Tuesday (Jan. 6), establishing landmark protections for gig economy workers. The new law mandates that delivery workers receive a minimum payment of 1.25 times the hourly minimum wage per order, with a floor of NT$45 (around US$1.43). The legislation marks Taiwan's first comprehensive regulatory framework for food delivery platforms.
The Ministry of Labor (勞動部) announced a draft proposal for this legislation in November. The bill passed an initial review by the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee (立法院社會福利及衛生環境委員會) in early December, with legislators finalizing the bill's name and intent by month's end. Both ruling and opposition parties prioritized the bill for Tuesday's session, completing the entire legislative process on the same day.
Under the new law, the Ministry of Labor will serve as the central authority, tasked with drafting contract stipulations covering payment calculations, suspension, contract termination, complaint systems, and insurance requirements. Any contract violating these stipulations will be deemed invalid under the legislation. The law establishes a complaint mechanism requiring an independent review panel of at least three members, including at least one union representative, to handle worker grievances.
Delivery platform operators must insure contracted delivery workers with group accident and liability insurance before allowing them to provide services under the new regulatory requirements. Employers can temporarily suspend insurance coverage if a worker does not provide services for more than three consecutive days, according to the legislation. Failure to report a work-related injury within eight hours could result in fines ranging from NT$30,000 (around US$952) to NT$300,000 (around US$9,524).