The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday said that two out of 18 workplace bullying complaints it received have been confirmed as valid cases following an investigation.
The ministry had convened a team of external experts to investigate the complaints, it said in a news release.
Of the 16 remaining complaints, one has been withdrawn, four were found to be unsubstantiated and investigations on the 11 others are expected to be completed by the end of the year, it said.
Photo: CNA
The complaints include one from the ministry itself, three from the Tourism Administration, four from the Highway Bureau, two from the Civil Aviation Administration, five from Taiwan International Ports Corp, two from Chunghwa Post Corp and one from Taiwan Railway Corp, the ministry said.
Among the 18 complaints, 10 involved inappropriate behavior of a supervisor toward their subordinates and eight involved inappropriate behavior between employees, the ministry said.
One of the confirmed cases came from Chunghwa Post and involved a verbal conflict between employees, and the other came from Taiwan International Ports and involved a supervisor being too demanding, it said.
Measures being taken to address workplace bullying include reassigning the accused to different positions, enforcing disciplinary actions in accordance with regulations and introducing employee assistance programs, the ministry said.
“Caring for the health and safety of every employee has always been the ministry’s top priority,” the news release cited Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) as saying.
The ministry’s Department of Personnel would keep track of investigations into each case of alleged workplace bullying, ensuring that every case is handled justly and efficiently, Chen said.
Separately, the Ministry of Education on Tuesday said that former National Museum of Marine Science and Technology director-general Chen Su-fen (陳素芬) has been demoted after an investigation confirmed her involvement in workplace bullying.
Chen’s “authoritarian and belittling management style” and poor emotional control subjected museum employees to a “high level of emotional stress and low morale,” and created a hostile and unfriendly working environment, thus meeting the definition of workplace bullying, Deputy Minister of Education Lin Teng-chiao (林騰蛟) told a news conference.
An independent investigation committee was convened by the education ministry after allegations against Chen — including her habit of loudly berating subordinates — were reported by the media in late October. She was removed from her post on Nov. 27, as the investigation proceeded.
Following the confirmation of the allegations, Chen was demoted from Grade 13 on the civil service ranking to a Grade 12 non-managerial role, Lin said.
She was also given a demerit on her civil service record, which will affect her year-end performance appraisal and her chance at future promotions, he said.
Investigators also found that Chen had breached conflict of interest laws for civil servants by hiring a second-degree relative, whose employment contract was terminated on Monday, while evidence of the violation was sent to the Control Yuan, Lin said.
To date, the education ministry or agencies under its jurisdiction have received 13 workplace bullying allegations, of which nine are still being investigated, the ministry said.
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