Three weeks into the job, Taiwan Labor Minister Hung Sun-han faces demands from activists and tough questions from lawmakers. With a hunger strike underway and major issues coming to light about workplace bullying and employee benefits, Hung is facing real pressure to address demands.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00An activist wears a cardboard cutout of Labour Minister Hong Sun-han's face at a protest
00:07outside the Labour Ministry.
00:09It's just over two weeks since Hong quit the legislature to take up the post, and there's
00:14been little time to adjust to the role.
00:17Hong knows all about protests.
00:19He was a seasoned activist before getting his start in politics.
00:24Now he's the face of the government, and the Labour movement has a whole range of expectations
00:29for him.
00:30Here, they're spelling them out, and announcing a 100-hour hunger strike to pile on the pressure.
00:49And alongside long-running demands, like restoring national holidays cut from the calendar, are
00:54new issues.
00:56First, they say the ministry has misused a fund meant to help with employment to cover
01:00frivolous expenses.
01:03Then there's the scandal that took down Hong's predecessor and got him the job.
01:08It's been just a month since a Labour Ministry employee died by suicide after severe workplace
01:13bullying.
01:14This has blown the lid on other claims of bullying at government agencies.
01:19And the pressure is on for Hong to do something.
01:21Hong's not just facing pressure from the streets, either.
01:24He's given a progress report to the legislature's Health and Welfare Committee.
01:29And lawmakers across party lines had some questions for him about the same issues.
01:54Hong has promised progress on the bullying scandal, with a re-examination set to wrap
02:12up this week, and a new legal system for reporting bullying to follow.
02:17But even if he can pull the ministry out of that quagmire, he must still convince the
02:22public and lawmakers that he was the right choice for his job.
02:27And with a range of other expectations on him, that may prove difficult.