Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) offered to resign on Wednesday evening over her handling of a civil servant’s suicide earlier this month, but Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) did not make an immediate decision as to whether to accept her resignation.
Cho intends to first consider the findings of an ongoing investigation into the death of the civil servant before discussing whether Ho should remain head of the Ministry of Labor, Executive Yuan spokesperson Lee Hui-chih (李慧芝) said.
“Ho’s current tasks and [questions over] accountability within the department have not yet been completed,” Lee told a news conference yesterday, adding that she remains labor minister.
Photo: CNA
The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office also said it is investigating malfeasance offenses and listed Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) as a defendant in the case.
Hsieh was fired on Wednesday after receiving two major demerits at a performance review, the ministry said.
An employee surnamed Wu (吳) on Nov. 4 was found dead at the Executive Yuan’s Sinjhuang Coworking Office Building in New Taipei City, with preliminary investigations indicating that the cause of death was suicide.
Many members of the public and people on social media believed that that workplace pressure and bullying were what drove Wu to take his life.
Protesters gathered outside the ministry in Taipei yesterday morning holding a black cloth saying: “Anti-bullying, we want truth.”
Soochow University School of Law professor Hu Po-yen (胡博硯) called for a thorough investigation, adding that all eyes are on how the ministry handles bullying in its own workplace.
New Power Party Chairperson Claire Wang (王婉諭) criticized the ministry investigation report as “illogical” and “absurd.”
The ministry appears incapable of investigating its own problems, she said, calling for the establishment of a workplace bullying prevention mechanism, as current measures are not enough.
Wang said the premier should organize a group that includes professionals from a third party to investigate not only Hsieh, but all relevant high-ranking officials, including Ho and Deputy Minister of Labor Hsu Chuan-sheng (許傳盛).
She said those who have left the branch because of bullying should also be interviewed to have a full picture of the event.
Hsieh on Wednesday issued a public apology in which she took responsibility for “poor emotional control” and “excessive requests” that led to “significant stress” for her colleagues.
Although denying that her “leadership style” had anything to do with Wu’s death, Hsieh apologized to Wu’s family and others affected by her “not being able to provide timely support.”
She also issued a 3,000-word statement released by her lawyer saying that media reports have treated her unfairly, as if she was put on a “public trial.”
Additional reporting by Lee Ching-hui and Wang Ting-chuan
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
EXERCISES: A 2022 article by a Chinese intelligence expert identified at least six People’s Liberation Army assault boats hidden inside the Hong Kong-flagged ship A Hong Kong-flagged cargo ship that had been docked at Taichung Port and which previously took part in Chinese military exercises departed from the port on Saturday, the Taiwan International Ports Corp’s Taichung branch said yesterday. The statement came in response to a post on the social media platform X by Taiwan-based journalist Chris Horton that said the ship, the SCSC Fortune, had been docked at the port since Tuesday and questioned whether Taiwan has any rules regarding foreign civilian vessels that have participated in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises. Horton referenced a 2022 article by Chinese intelligence expert Rod Lee that
PROBLEMATIC: Popular hotpot restaurant chains were among the list of restaurants that failed the inspection and have been ordered to remove bad ingredients The Taipei Department of Health’s latest inspection of hotpot ingredients in hotpot restaurants resulted in a 16.7 percent failure rate. Eight vegetables had excessive pesticide residue and two other items had aflatoxin and excessive preservatives. As the weather is getting colder, more people eat at hotpot restaurants so a random inspection of ingredients was conducted in October to ensure food safety, the department said. Food and Drug Division Director Lin Kuan-chen (林冠蓁) said 60 different ingredients were tested: 15 high-risk vegetables, 15 processed food items, 10 soy-based food items, five meat items, five lamb items, five seafood items and five peanut powder
RSS