Platform for civil servants to file bullying complaints to launch Friday

Taipei, Dec. 12 (CNA) An online platform allowing civil servants from different government agencies to file complaints about workplace bullying will be launched on Friday, the Cabinet said, marking its latest attempt to quell the anger sparked by recent reports of bullying.

The platform, managed by the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (DGPA) under the Executive Yuan, will begin receiving complaints on Friday at 10 a.m., Cabinet spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news briefing Thursday in Taipei.

The platform, however, will not allow civil servants to file complaints anonymously, despite Lee's repeated assurances that mechanisms would be in place to "protect complainants' privacy."

"Only when we know who files a complaint can we know who needs protecting," the spokesperson said, defending the setup.

Lee also quoted Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as saying earlier the same day that government agencies should "handle workplace bullying cases properly" and that there should be no cover-ups or delays.

The premier also expressed hope that the platform would bring about "a positive change" in the public sector work environment and improve public perception of the administration, according to Lee.

DGPA official Yang Ching-lun (楊景倫) said at the briefing that the platform would provide civil servants in both central and local government agencies an "alternative" to existing reporting systems in their workplace.

According to Yang, when the platform receives a complaint filed by a civil servant, the agency they work for will be notified and required to report back to the DGPA within three days confirming whether or not an investigation into the complaint has been launched.

Yang said investigations should be completed within a month, but deadlines can be extended by another month if necessary.

Apart from officials from that government agency, independent experts will be invited to participate in the investigation, he added.

The government has been scrambling to establish a new mechanism for handling workplace bullying complaints following reports in November that a civil servant from the Ministry of Labor (MOL), surnamed Wu (吳), took his own life after being bullied by his superior.

The incident sparked a wave of workplace bullying accusations within multiple government agencies.

The latest MOL investigation, published on Wednesday, confirmed that Wu had been bullied by his superior Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) and that his suicide was linked to the "unfriendly" and "high-pressure" work environment.