Taiwan's Labor Minister Tackles Workplace Bullying: Seeking Consistent Rules

Hung Sun-han Champions Uniform Grievance Procedures to Combat Workplace Harassment in Public and Private Sectors

Taipei, April 1 - Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) is advocating for standardized grievance handling mechanisms within the draft bills addressing workplace bullying, impacting both the private and public sectors in Taiwan.

The issue of workplace bullying gained prominence in Taiwan following the Ministry of Labor's (MOL) determination in December of last year, which attributed the alleged suicide of an employee at the Workforce Development Agency New Taipei Office to workplace bullying by then-office head Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容).

The MOL's investigation report detailed instances of persistent verbal abuse, including yelling, berating, and assigning tasks beyond job responsibilities.

An initial report released on November 19, however, sparked public outrage after it characterized Hsieh as "well-intentioned" and "not the direct cause" of the employee's death, raising significant questions about the investigation's integrity.

This incident led to widespread public dissatisfaction, resulting in the resignation of then-Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) on November 21 last year and prompting a second investigation alongside legal efforts to establish measures for addressing and penalizing workplace bullying.

In a recent interview, Hung, who took over from Ho in November, emphasized his priority of tackling workplace bullying across both the public and private sectors.

Currently, workers experiencing bullying are only covered by non-legally binding guidelines, with existing laws lacking clear definitions of workplace bullying.

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

Furthermore, the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission has unveiled amendments to regulations on the protection of civil servant safety and hygiene, mandating that workplace bullying investigations be completed within two months and prohibiting retaliatory actions against complainants.

The ministry and the commission have been collaborating on legal revisions, agreeing on the need for consistent definitions, grievance handling, and investigation procedures for both civil servants and private-sector workers in potential workplace bullying cases, according to Hung.

Hung acknowledged the inherent differences in penalties and legal remedies between the public and private sectors. He emphasized the importance of ensuring impartiality and that “no one is left behind" during investigation procedures within both systems.