INTERVIEW/Labor minister calls for consistent workplace bullying rules

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) has called for the introduction of consistent grievance handling mechanisms in draft bills regarding the handling of workplace bullying across the private and public sectors.

The issue of workplace bullying was brought to the fore in Taiwan after the Ministry of Labor (MOL) in December last year determined the alleged suicide of an employee at the Workforce Development Agency New Taipei Office to be motivated by the workplace bullying of then-office head Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容).

According to the MOL's investigation report, this included persistent yelling, berating and blaming staff as well as demanding that they perform tasks beyond their job responsibilities.

An initial report released on Nov. 19 sparked public backlash after declaring Hsieh to be "well-intentioned" and "not the direct cause" of Wu's death. It also raised questions about the integrity of the investigation process.

The incident caused public ire, resulting in the resignation of then-Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) on Nov. 21 last year and prompting the second investigation and a legal drive to introduce measures to handle and punish workplace bullying.

In a recent interview with CNA, Hung, who succeeded Ho in November last year, said his top priority as labor minister is to address workplace bullying in both the public and private sectors.

Currently, workers facing bullying are covered by non-legally binding guidelines, with no clear-cut definitions of workplace bullying in existing laws.

The MOL has proposed amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act, which covers private-sector workers, while the Examination Yuan will propose amendments to the Civil Service Protection Act.

Meanwhile, the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission has unveiled amendments to "regulations on the protection of civil servant safety and hygiene," which mandate that an investigation into a potential workplace bullying case be completed within two months and that no retaliatory action shall be taken against the complainant.

The ministry has frequently consulted with the commission over the proposed legal revisions, and both agencies agree that the definition of workplace bullying, handling of grievances, and investigation procedures for civil servants and private-sector workers in potential workplace bullying cases should be consistent, Hung added.

Hung said that although the different systems for public servants and private-sector workers mean there will inevitably be some differences in penalties for perpetrator and legal remedy rules, the investigation procedures for both systems should ensure impartiality and "no one is left behind."