TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Disciplinary Court imposed a NT$600,000 (around US$19,990) fine Wednesday (Sept. 17) on former Nuclear Safety Commission (原能會) Chairperson Hsieh Shou-shing (謝曉星) for workplace bullying and sexual harassment. The verdict concludes a high-profile case that exposed systemic misconduct within Taiwan's nuclear regulatory agency. The ruling follows extensive investigations that revealed multiple violations during Hsieh's controversial tenure as the island's top nuclear safety official.
The Control Yuan (監察院), Taiwan's government watchdog agency, held a press conference in July 2023 where Member Yeh Ta-hua (葉大華) revealed an investigation uncovered four major violations by Hsieh. Yeh highlighted Hsieh's public reprimands of subordinates, noting his frequent emotional outbursts inflicted psychological stress and threatened employees' personal rights. The Control Yuan unanimously impeached him with a decisive 13-0 vote, marking a rare instance of complete consensus.
The Executive Yuan (行政院), Taiwan's cabinet, reported findings in January 2023 from a special investigative team formed in 2022 to examine Hsieh's conduct. The comprehensive report accused Hsieh of gender discrimination during staff selection and interviews, creating a hostile work environment characterized by systematic gender harassment. Investigators documented evidence of Hsieh scrutinizing female subordinates' attire and making inappropriate comments that exceeded acceptable social and professional boundaries.
Hsieh's discriminatory hiring practices since joining Taiwan's cabinet in 2016 further demonstrated systematic gender bias throughout his leadership. He employed eight secretaries during his tenure, primarily selecting women of a specific height while imposing different leave request protocols based on gender, violating Taiwan's employment service and gender equality laws. Investigators also found that Hsieh dined with a female secretary during the Level 3 pandemic alert, directly breaching COVID-19 prevention measures. ◼
