Anti-bullying protesters demand union rights for civil servants

Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) Hundreds of protesters led by the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) gathered on Saturday to call for civil servants' right to form unions, following an alleged workplace bullying-suicide incident involving the Ministry of Labor (MOL) last month.

The incident, in which pressure from an MOL branch chief allegedly led an employee to take his own life, has raised concerns about mismanagement within government agencies, demonstrators said during their rally outside the MOL in Taipei.

The protesters argued that laws needed to be amended, given that the unequal relationship between civil servants and supervisory departments is contributing to what they described as widespread workplace bullying within the public sector.

Under Taiwanese law, civil servants are prohibited from forming unions so that public interests remain protected, but they can join the National Civil Servant Association, which offers limited protections.

Citing data from the Budget Center of the Legislative Yuan, Kao Shyh-nan (高誓男), one of the protesters and chairman of the National Civil Servant Association, said workplace bullying in the public sector was indeed severe.

He said 11 civil servants took their own lives and more than 1,300 resigned in 2023 — increases of 120 percent and 122 percent, respectively, compared to the previous year.

In addition to demanding the right to unionize, Kao urged the government to implement stricter anti-bullying measures, strengthen occupational safety regulations, and reform work hours and overtime policies to better protect civil servants.

TPP Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷) said his party plans to amend the Civil Service Protection Act and propose an anti-bullying law next week, in part to require that half of the members of any committee handling bullying complaints must be independent members.

In response, the MOL said unionization is under the jurisdiction of the Examination Yuan, but it indicated it was willing to engage in discussions with the Examination Yuan to secure more bargaining rights for civil servants.

The ministry also mentioned it is working on the legalization of workplace bullying measures, seeking input from experts, labor representatives and the public sector, and is planning to hold public hearings to gather further suggestions.

The attention to bullying was sparked by the recent suicide of a 39-year-old employee of the MOL's Workforce Development Agency (WDA), surnamed Wu (吳).

His suicide was allegedly linked to the bullying leadership style of his branch head, Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), who was dismissed after receiving two major demerits in a performance review.

On Saturday, the MOL said the results of an investigation into Wu's case are expected to be made public next week.