How well do Taiwan's workplace laws protect workers from abuse and bullying? It's a question being given renewed focus after the recent suicide of a labor ministry employee. Lawyer KC Yang explains just how far workplace protections go.
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00:00According to lawmakers, a labor ministry employee who recently died by suicide
00:05had been forced to work 14-hour days and then had his timesheet faked
00:09so that it looked like he was working normal hours.
00:11Is this illegal?
00:30The labor minister agrees that this employee had also been bullied at work, and it looks like this isn't an unusual situation.
00:57One survey by the Job Bank 1111 found that 83% of Taiwanese workers had been bullied at work at some time.
01:04What sorts of protections or legal recourse do these people have?
01:27I want to ask a question about government employees.
01:36Because in Taiwan, they're considered separate from ordinary workers.
01:39The rules are different.
01:40For instance, they can't form unions, and the ordinary workplace safety laws don't apply to them.
01:45Does this difference mean that they're more vulnerable to abuse?
01:48Or do the separate rules made for them do the job?
01:58Sometimes, we find that these employees may not be able to enjoy more complete protection like ordinary workers.
02:05This leads to the fact that these employees want to fight for better work rights,
02:09for a better and more secure working environment.
02:12In reality, this can be difficult.