TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (立法院), the island's parliament, passed amendments Tuesday (Dec. 2) to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) defining workplace bullying and establishing preventive measures to strengthen worker protections. The amendments followed recent workplace bullying incidents. The Executive Yuan (行政院), Taiwan's cabinet, proposed the draft in August.
The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee (社會福利及衛生環境委員會), a legislative committee, initially reviewed the draft in late October. Lawmakers completed the third reading process Tuesday. The amendments define workplace bullying as actions by personnel that exceed necessary and reasonable bounds, causing harm to workers' physical and mental health. The definition establishes clear legal standards for identifying workplace bullying behavior.
The amendments require employers with more than 30 workers to implement preventive measures against workplace bullying. These measures include establishing complaint and disciplinary procedures, which must be publicly posted in visible locations. Companies with more than 10 workers must establish complaint channels for workplace bullying. The tiered approach ensures protections scale with company size.
Employers must prevent further bullying, provide necessary assistance, and conduct investigations if workers file complaints. They must register cases and outcomes on a designated government website to avoid selective reporting. Investigations must be objective, fair, and allow involved parties to express their opinions. The registration requirement ensures transparency in handling workplace bullying cases.
