The suicide of Taipei City Government cleaning crew driver Huang Yun-chun (黃雲春) in August 2014 has been deemed eligible for occupational hazard compensation and the case is being reviewed.
According to an investigation by the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection, in July 2014, 54-year-old Huang had asked a foreman surnamed Chang (張) whether the unit had been notified of the two extra days off for working during then-approaching Typhoon Matmo, but instead of answering, Chang insulted Huang.
Chang allegedly complained to other workers that Huang “did not understand priorities” and said: “I would be out of my mind if I gave any weight to his comments.”
Chang also submitted a complaint to the department’s union alleging that Huang abused his position as the union’s standing executive member and complaining that Huang “came from the mainland” due to his being born in China, reports said.
Huang denied the allegations and found it hard to understand why people could not accept him, despite having fought for the benefits of all the workers on the crew for a long time, reports said.
On Aug. 29, 2014, Huang sent a message to the union’s staff group on the Line chat app that he was “willing to prove his innocence with his life.”
Later in the day he jumped from the ninth floor of the building the union is located in.
Huang’s family had asked for compensation, saying that Huang was bullied, but the claims were not accepted by the department, which tasked then-department deputy director Lu Shih-chang (盧世昌) to head an investigation.
Huang was not on duty at the time of his death and Aug. 29 was not a work day for him, Lu said.
The family consulted Wanfang Hospital doctor Huang Pai-tsan (黃百粲), who said that in his professional opinion, the suicide could be considered an occupational hazard.
Department director Liu Ming-lung (劉銘龍) later instructed the department to respect professional opinions, in effect approving the family’s request for compensation on grounds of an occupational hazard pending further review.
The medical diagnosis from Huang Pai-tsan showed Huang Yun-chun had no record of psychiatric illness and did not suffer from stress in his personal life.
As Huang Yun-chun had complained to many people and protested his innocence, he met the criteria of a sudden occurence in his job that caused him to commit suicide referred to in the “References for Identifying Occupational Psychiatric Illnesses” (職業性精神心理疾病認定參考指引), Huang Pai-tsan said.
The Taiwan Association for Victims of Occupational Injuries said it has filed for compensation for Huang’s family, adding that the application is under review.
The Taipei Department of Labor said that if the Bureau of Labor Insurance approved the compensation on grounds of occupational hazard, the Huang family would receive 45 months’ worth of Huang Yun-chun’s salary, or NT$1.93 million (US$57,610), in compensation.
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