Examination Yuan Vice President Chou Hung-hsien (周弘憲) yesterday told lawmakers that if he is approved by the legislature to be president of the body, an amendment to the Civil Service Protection Act (公務人員保障法) would be proposed to include anti-bullying regulations.
Chou made the pledge in his briefing to the legislature in a plenary session, during which lawmakers reviewed the qualifications of President William Lai’s (賴清德) Examination Yuan nominations.
The psychological well-being of government workers has come under public scrutiny after a Ministry of Labor employee committed suicide allegedly because of bullying from a supervisor.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Chou said that the Examination Yuan is in charge of enforcing regulations to protect the rights of civil servants, adding that it is the branch’s responsibility to provide a friendly and safe work environment.
It would propose an amendment to the act by including anti-bullying regulations if the legislature approves his nomination as Examination Yuan president, Chou said.
Currently, the Examination Yuan only has measures to prevent bullying in the workplace, he said.
Article 19 of the act stipulates that the safety for a civil servant to perform duties shall be ensured.
The article also requires government agencies to provide safety and sanitary measures for a civil servant to perform their duties, and the regulations should be jointly promulgated by the Examination Yuan and the Executive Yuan, Chou said.
However, the article is little more than a declarative statement, he said, adding that anti-bullying regulations should be added to the article so that all agencies are obligated to follow.
The Measures for the Safety and Health Protection of Public Servants (公務人員安全及衛生防護辦法), which are stipulated based on Article 19 of the act, states that bullying in occupational environments falls under the category of safety issues.
Civil servants can file complaints at the government agencies they work for, he said.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that the measures have not been changed in 10 years, and civil servants who breach the measures would not be penalized either.
Chou said that the Civil Service Protection and Training Commission proposed an amendment to the measures in August, adding that it would soon finalize the revised measures and publish them.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS