COUPLE EXPLOIT LOOPHOLE TO MARRY FOUR TIMES AND DIVORCE IN JUST 37 DAYS TO GET MORE TIME OFF WORK

Weddings are said to be one of the most stressful events in life, but one Taiwanese couple recently decided to go through the process four times in just a few weeks to extend their time off work for a honeymoon.

The bizarre story sparked heated online debate in Taiwan after the husband — an unnamed bank employee — exploited a legal loophole that obliges local companies to grant eight days paid leave to newlyweds.

Over a period of 37 days, he and his wife married four times — and divorced three — claiming the full period of time off for each wedding.

Their creative, albeit not very romantic, attempt to maximize their honeymoon was confirmed by Taipei's labour department after the tale went viral on social media.

The man's employer noticed his ploy and said it was only willing to offer eight days off, claiming the man had “abused” the law. But in an unexpected twist, the bank was initially fined by the Taipei city labour department for violating leave regulations. That was because as far as the law goes, there is currently no restriction on how often an employee can apply for marriage leave.

After the case became public, an online backlash ensued against the bank employee for taking advantage of the loophole and against the labour department for fining the bank.

Last week, the labour department did an about-turn and cancelled the penalty against the bank.

However, the employee, who has since left the company, was unwilling to let the matter drop and has since complained to the authorities that his former employer still owes him 24 days of leave, according to AFP.