A Ministry of Labor investigation into the work environment at the Workforce Development Agency has found that its leadership fostered a high-pressure and unfriendly work environment, Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said today in a turnaround from its first investigation, which found that management had no “direct involvement” in the suicide of an employee.
On Nov. 4, an agency employee surnamed Wu (吳) was found dead of apparent suicide in New Taipei City, with subsequent speculation on social media saying that his supervisor, Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容), had driven him to take his own life.
Hung, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Director-General Tzou Tzu-lien (鄒子廉) and Taiwan Occupational Safety and Health Link executive director Huang Yi-ling (黃怡翎) held a news conference today to announce the investigation’s results.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei TImes
The three main findings are as follows: Hsieh’s management style was inappropriate, Wu was bullied and Wu’s experiences in the workplace led to his decision to take his life, Hung said.
Hsieh’s management style was intimidating and put subordinates in continuous high-pressure situations, Hung said.
In addition, Wu, who was responsible for managing an employment services system, was overworked and under even more pressure from Hsieh, he said.
Furthermore, the system Wu managed exceeded necessary business requirements, he added.
Third, as Wu was responsible for managing all IT and cybersecurity tasks, he was overwhelmed and overburdened by his assignments, leading to sleep deprivation and exhaustion, Hung said.
Employee records show Wu arriving at work as early as 4am or 5am and he had previously mentioned to colleagues that he would kill himself if they could not complete their tasks, Hung said.
Corruption allegations against Hsieh were not within the scope of the investigation, Hung said.
The investigation is in its final stages and the ministry is to release the results this week, Hung said, adding that the goal was to understand Wu’s decision and the situation he was in.
The ministry’s initial investigation found that Hsieh was “not the direct cause” of Wu’s death, and instead attributed it to an “excessive workload,” “too much stress” and a “lack of support.”
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
RSS