MOL mulling hotline for filing bullying complaints

Taipei, Dec. 4 (CNA) The Ministry of Labor (MOL) may create a hotline for the general public to report workplace bullying after having set up a dedicated complaint channel for its own agencies, Labor Minister Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said Wednesday at the Legislature.

Hung was reporting on plans to set up complaint channels internally and to prevent workplace bullying in the private sector amid an ongoing controversy over the head of an MOL agency branch allegedly driving an employee there to commit suicide last month.

The MOL is also assessing the feasibility of creating a hotline for filing complaints and providing counseling regarding workplace bullying that would be available to the public, Hung said.

Internally, Hung said, the MOL launched an initiative following the incident that offered a "dedicated" complaint channel for its employees, and it will continue taking steps toward improving existing complaint filing mechanisms to make them more comprehensive.

In addition, the MOL will create a complaint review committee to handle grievances from its employees, and will better educate its staff on what to do should they be subject to workplace bullying and the resources that are available to them in those situations.

The recent attention to bullying was sparked after a 39-year-old employee of a branch of the MOL's Workforce Development Agency (WDA) surnamed Wu (吳) was found to have committed suicide at work.

His suicide was allegedly related to the bullying leadership style of branch head Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), who subsequently received two major demerits in a performance review, prompting her dismissal from office.

At a news conference on Nov. 19, the MOL said its investigation found that Hsieh's "management style and control over her emotions" had a role in but were "not the direct cause" of Wu's death.

At Wednesday's hearing, Hung acknowledged that the results of the investigation conducted by the ministry, released on Nov. 19, were inconclusive and sparked widespread controversy.

The MOL has launched a new investigation into the incident and will brief the public once it is completed, Hung said.