Taipei, Taiwan – The Republic of Somaliland Representative Office in Taiwan has rebuffed a former employee’s claim of unfair dismissal, telling CNA Thursday that the worker was fired due to “persistently breaching” her employment contract.
The woman, identified only as “A,” started working as a special assistant to Somaliland’s representative to Taiwan Mohamed Omar Hagi Mohamoud in May 2021, Kuomintang (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chang Szu-kang told reporters at a press conference Thursday.
At the press conference, “A” alleged that Mohamoud held her responsible when one of his personal employees, a Filipino worker, left their job without warning. “A” said he checked her phone multiple times, and despite not finding relevant evidence on it, dismissed her in August 2022.
When she was fired, a co-worker went through her possessions, stating it was for official purposes, she said, adding that the co-worker repeatedly hugged her without her consent.
The woman filed a case of sexual misconduct against that co-worker, which was turned down by prosecutors. She then asked a court to send the case to trial, but that appeal was also rejected by the court.
She also filed a civil lawsuit against the Somaliland office regarding her dismissal, but this was thrown out on June 29 by the Taiwan High Court after Mohamoud claimed diplomatic immunity.
“The cases filed by the petitioner, which involved allegations of sexual harassment and wrongful dismissal, have all been brought before the court and prosecutors have decided not to bring charges in both cases,” the Somaliland Representative Office said when asked for comment by CNA.
The office said it terminated its contract with the former employee because she “persistently breached contract terms and ignored multiple warnings.”
In the press conference, the woman also alleged that the office initially did not want to give her overtime pay and labor and health insurance and only agreed after she made multiple requests.
In addition, she said she was often asked by Mohamoud to pay in advance for office expenses, such as phone and internet bills, and his personal expenses, such as high-speed rail tickets for his family.
In response, the Somaliland office dismissed those accusations as “false.”
“A” says she is speaking up to demand her rights and wants the Taiwanese government to do more to ensure representative offices in the country abide by Taiwan’s Labor Standards Act.
Commenting on the incident Thursday, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said, “We have kept in close contact with the woman since knowing about the incident in 2022 and we fully support her to take legal actions to protect her rights.”
