Taipei: Labor Minister Ho Pei-shan offered to resign on Wednesday evening over her handling of a civil servant's suicide earlier this month, but Premier Cho Jung-tai did not make an immediate decision as to whether to accept her resignation. According to Focus Taiwan, Executive Yuan Spokesperson Lee Hui-chih indicated that Premier Cho intends to first consider the findings of an ongoing investigation into the death of the worker before deciding on Ho's position as head of the Ministry of Labor (MOL). "He Pei-shan's current tasks and [questions over] accountability within the department have not yet been completed," Lee said at a press conference Thursday, emphasizing that Ho remains labor minister. The Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee announced on Wednesday that it had requested the Control Yuan and the Disciplinary Court to conduct separate investigations into the suicide of a 39-year-old civil servant, identified by his surname Wu. Wu's body was found inside the minist ry's office at the Executive Yuan's Xinzhuang Joint Office Tower in New Taipei on Nov. 4, with speculation suggesting workplace bullying as a possible cause. Ho faced intense scrutiny from lawmakers on Wednesday regarding the ministry's response to the case. While she accepted "responsibility" for the situation, Ho argued that "the civil service system has many challenges" that are "difficult to control." At a press conference on Tuesday, Ho stated that any alleged bullying by Hsieh Yi-jung, the then head of a regional office of the Work Development Agency (WDA), was "not the direct cause" of Wu's death. Nonetheless, a MOL report recommended evaluating Hsieh under the Public Functionaries Merit Evaluation Act for "involvement in workplace bullying." During a performance review on Wednesday afternoon, Hsieh received two major demerits, resulting in her dismissal from office. Hsieh issued a public apology, acknowledging her "poor emotional control" and "excessive requests" that caused "significant stress" to colleagues. Although she denied that her "leadership style" was linked to Wu's death, Hsieh apologized to Wu's family and others affected by her inability to provide timely support. Premier Cho, speaking to reporters on Wednesday, confirmed that the case has been referred to the judiciary, stressing that "bullying must not be tolerated again." He suggested that the investigation should be completed and responsibility determined "within a week."
Labor Minister Offers Resignation Amid Bullying Suicide Investigation.
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