Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator-at-large Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) has been chosen to succeed Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) as minister of labor.
Ho stepped down on Friday following criticism over her handling of a suspected suicide case, in which a Ministry of Labor worker killed himself after allegedly being bullied by a supervisor, a Cabinet spokesperson said.
Late on Friday, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) confirmed the appointment, saying Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had consulted with Hung, who agreed to take up the new post.
Photo: Taipei Times
Hung was a civil rights activist before he became a DPP lawmaker for the second time following the legislative election in January.
Lee said that as a vocal civic activist, Hung is familiar with the interactions between the public and private sectors, while as a lawmaker, he is known for his concern for labor issues, such as workers’ living and occupational security.
Hung has been keen on seeking measures to protect workers and was devoted to building a safe workplace, Lee added.
Cho has encouraged Hung to continue contributing to the country as minister of labor, Lee said, adding that Cho also urged Hung to keep working hard on labor rights matters.
Ho first tendered her resignation on Wednesday amid a controversy involving the suicide of a ministry employee earlier this month. She offered her resignation again on Thursday, which was approved by the premier.
Ho is the shortest-serving minister of labor, in office for only 186 days. She was sworn in on May 20, when President William Lai (賴清德) took office.
The body of the 39-year-old employee, surnamed Wu (吳), was discovered at the Executive Yuan’s Sinjhuang Joint Office Tower in New Taipei City on Nov. 4. Speculation on social media said that workplace bullying by his supervisor Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) had driven him to take his own life.
A report by the ministry earlier this week said that no evidence linked Hsieh to Wu’s suicide.
However, Ho on Tuesday said that Hsieh’s management style and “control over her emotions” were “inappropriate” and “resulted in staff feeling like they were being bullied in the workplace.”
Hsieh was “not the direct cause” of Wu’s death, Ho said, attributing the death instead to “excessive workload,” “too much stress” and a “lack of support resources.”
Ho’s remarks sparked an outcry.
On the other hand, Hung said the controversy indicated management problems inside the ministry.
The agency in charge of labor affairs should stop fabricating punch-in and out records, Hung said.
During a trip to Kaohsiung on Friday, Lai said that the government should build a work environment friendly to personnel, and that the public and private sectors need to take such issues seriously.
The government must review laws and introduce amendments when necessary to build a strong legal mechanism that protects workers, he said.
People experiencing suicidal thoughts can call the 1925, 1995 or 1980 hotlines for counseling or assistance.
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