Ministry of Labor Considers Public Hotline for Workplace Bullying Complaints.

Taipei: The Ministry of Labor (MOL) is considering the establishment of a public hotline to report workplace bullying, following the introduction of a complaint channel for its own agencies. This initiative was announced by Labor Minister Hung Sun-han during a legislative session, in response to a controversy involving an MOL agency branch head allegedly prompting an employee's suicide. According to Focus Taiwan, the MOL is evaluating the feasibility of creating a hotline that would allow the general public to file complaints and seek counseling on workplace bullying. This follows the MOL's internal launch of a dedicated complaint channel for its employees, aimed at enhancing the mechanisms for reporting bullying and making them more comprehensive. The ministry plans to set up a complaint review committee to address grievances from MOL employees and will focus on educating staff about handling workplace bullying and the resources available to them. This move comes after a 39-year-old employee of the MOL's W orkforce Development Agency, surnamed Wu, reportedly committed suicide due to the bullying leadership style of branch head Hsieh Yi-jung. Hsieh, who was dismissed from her position after receiving two major demerits in a performance review, was found by the MOL's investigation to have contributed to the situation through her management style, though it was not deemed the direct cause of Wu's death. Minister Hung acknowledged that the investigation's inconclusive results sparked controversy, prompting a new investigation. The MOL pledged to update the public upon its completion.