Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) yesterday apologized after the suicide of a civil servant earlier this month and announced that a supervisor accused of workplace bullying would be demoted.
On Nov. 4, a 39-year-old information analyst at the Workforce Development Agency’s (WDA) northern branch, which covers greater Taipei and Keelung, as well as Yilan, Lienchiang and Kinmen counties, was found dead in their office.
WDA northern branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), who has been accused of involvement in workplace bullying, would be demoted to a nonsupervisory position, Ho told a news conference in Taipei.
Photo: CNA
WDA Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) said he would take responsibility for the incident and was willing to accept a harsh penalty.
The Ministry of Labor announced the results of an investigation into the incident under the direction of Deputy Minister of Labor Hsu Chuan-sheng (許傳盛), following allegations on the social media platform Threads that the employee experienced workplace bullying and harassment.
The civil servant was the only full-time employee responsible for an employment services system, and was also the only staff member who provided information services at the branch, Ho said.
The civil servant worked long periods of overtime and was frustrated that the system was impractical, she added.
The ministry concluded that the excessive workload, pressure to succeed and a lack of support from colleagues led the employee to feel powerless, she said.
The ministry is to review and suspend the system and award a posthumous medal to the civil servant, Ho said.
It would also seek compensation for their family, she added.
At the time of the incident, the ministry said it had activated its Employee Assistance Program to support staff’s mental health.
Ho yesterday said the incident was a huge loss and reflects a failure on the ministry’s part.
She added that she is responsible for investigating the incident and ensuring that the correct people are held accountable.
Hsieh’s management style was not determined to be directly responsible for the civil servant’s death, but under the Civil Service Performance Evaluation Act (公務人員考績法), he must bear administrative responsibility for the tragedy, she said.
The ministry would ask the Executive Yuan to reconsider the work pressure and labor needs of government agencies, Ho added.
Additional reporting by Lee Ching-hui
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