Taipei Councilor Questions Mayor's Claim on Reduced Inspection Staff for Smoke-Free Initiative

Taipei City Councilor Hung Wan-chen has challenged Mayor Chiang Wan-an's assertion that public inspection manpower for the "smoke-free city" initiative has been reduced by one-sixth. Chiang had stated that outsourcing was being used to compensate for this decrease.

Hung presented data indicating that as of June 11, the "Tobacco Hazard Inspection Business Group" still comprised 287 individuals. She questioned whether this implied the original mobilized workforce had actually exceeded 340 people. Hung pointed out that many city departments have fewer than 200 staff, and some, like the Youth Bureau, have fewer than 100. She argued that implementing a new policy requiring cross-departmental personnel mobilization effectively utilizes the manpower of an entire department.

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Taipei City Councilor Hung Wan-chen said that Chiang Wan-an said 'public inspection manpower has been reduced by one-sixth,' and according to the 'Tobacco Hazard Inspection Business Group' on June 11, there are still 287 people, questioning whether the original mobilized manpower had already exceeded 340 people?

The councilor emphasized that these mobilized civil servants have their own primary duties and are not solely dedicated to tobacco hazard inspections. They require training in inspection practices and must patrol commercial areas, adding to their existing workload. Hung also noted that outsourced personnel cannot fully replace civil servants in enforcement, as inspections still require official manpower. She cited the Ximending commercial district, where patrol hours in June were extended compared to May, despite the city government's claims of reducing the burden on frontline staff.

Hung concluded that the "smoke-free city" policy should not become a "grassroots overtime city." She highlighted that in January alone, one staff member in the Commerce Department worked 80 overtime hours, and in February, a total of 282 overtime hours were logged for the "smoke-free city" initiative by colleagues below the section chief level. This, she argued, shows that the pressure of the new policy is being borne by the grassroots level, despite the city government's rhetoric of standing with them.

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Smoke-free city cannot become a grassroots overtime city.