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.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
RSS