Focus Taiwan App
Download

'Local emperor' CDC official demoted following bullying complaints

11/28/2024 09:36 PM
To activate the text-to-speech service, please first agree to the privacy policy below.
CDC Director General Chuang Jen-hsiang (left) and his deputy Lo Yi-chun address the office bullying issue at a press conference on Thursday. CNA photo Nov. 28, 2024
CDC Director General Chuang Jen-hsiang (left) and his deputy Lo Yi-chun address the office bullying issue at a press conference on Thursday. CNA photo Nov. 28, 2024

Taipei, Nov. 28 (CNA) A division head at the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) was transferred to a nonsupervisory role after an internal investigation found she had bullied subordinates.

Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, CDC Director General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) apologized to staff for "physical and emotional stress" caused by the division chief, identified by her surname Huang (黃), in the CDC's Division of Preparedness for Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Huang had been accused on social media website Threads last week of acting like a "local emperor," with behaviors that included throwing documents, shouting at subordinates, and using abusive language.

In response, the CDC established a task force comprising two internal members and two external members possessing legal or psychological counseling experience to investigate and present its findings within one week.

Chuang said that 46 anonymous questionnaires were collected and 15 individuals, including Huang, were interviewed.

The task force concluded that workplace bullying took place and a subsequent performance review procedure on Thursday resulted in Huang receiving two demerits and being transferred to a nonsupervisory position as an administrative punishment under the Public Functionaries Merit Evaluation Act.

CDC Deputy Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) will serve as acting head of the Division of Preparedness for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Chuang said.

Chuang also said that the CDC would "enhance educational courses relating to workplace bullying and promote channels for reporting issues."

The case represents another high-profile disciplinary action against a civil servant accused of workplace bullying in recent days.

On Nov. 20, the then head of the Ministry of Labor's (MOL) Work Development Agency's (WDA) northern regional office, Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), was dismissed after being accused of bullying a subordinate who went on to kill himself at work.

(By James Thompson and Tzeng Yi-ning)

Enditem/ASG

    0:00
    /
    0:00
    We value your privacy.
    Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy.
    106