DPP popular legislator elected as new Minister of Labor

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) general legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) was elected to succeed Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) as labor minister.

Ho stepped down from her position on Friday following criticism over her handling of a suspected suicide case in which a Labor Ministry employee committed suicide after being allegedly intimidated by a supervisor, a cabinet spokesman said.

Late on Friday, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) confirmed the appointment, saying Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) had consulted with Hung, who agreed to take the new position.

Photo: Taipei Times

Hung was a civil rights activist before becoming a DPP member of parliament for the second time after January’s legislative elections.

Lee said that as a staunch civic activist, Hung is familiar with the interactions between the public and private sectors, while as a legislator he is known for his concern for labor issues such as worker lives and job security.

Hung was eager to find measures to protect workers and was committed to building a safe workplace, Lee added.

Cho encouraged Hung to continue to support the country as labor minister, Lee said, adding that Cho also urged Hung to continue working hard on labor rights issues.

Ho first resigned on Wednesday following controversy over the suicide of a ministry employee earlier this month. On Thursday, she submitted her resignation again, which was approved by the Prime Minister.

Ho is the shortest-serving labor minister, having been in office for just 186 days. She took the oath of office on May 20, when President William Lai (賴清德) took office.

The body of a 39-year-old employee surnamed Wu (吳) was discovered on November 4 in the shared office of Executive Yuan Sinjhuang in New Taipei City. Speculation on social media indicates that workplace abuse by his supervisor Hsieh Yi-Jung (謝宜容) led him to take his own life.

A ministry report from earlier this week said there was no evidence linking Hsieh to Wu’s suicide.

However, on Tuesday, Ho claimed that Hsieh’s management style and “control of emotions” were “inappropriate” and “resulted in employees feeling as if they were being bullied in the workplace.”

Ho concluded that Hsieh was “not the direct cause” of Wu’s death, attributing the death to “excessive workload,” “too much stress” and “lack of support measures.”

Ho’s comments sparked outrage.

Hung, on the other hand, said the controversy points to management problems at the ministry.

The agency responsible for labor affairs should stop falsifying entry and exit records, Hung said.

During a visit to Kaohsiung on Friday, Lai said the government should create a staff-friendly work environment and the public and private sectors must take such issues seriously.

The government must review laws and, if necessary, make changes to build a strong legal mechanism to protect workers, he said.

People experiencing suicidal thoughts can call the hotlines 1925, 1995 or 1980 for advice or help.