POSCO Pohang Steelworks bans employees from riding motorcycles... Controversy over measures against Serious Accidents Punishment Act

Last Year, Motorcycle-Riding Employee Killed in Accident with Large Truck
Commuting and Factory Workers Traveling Around 10km Protest

The photo shows participants, including Youth Jeon Tae-il and the National Specialized High School Graduates Labor Union, paying tribute and observing a moment of silence for the deceased at the "POSCO Pohang Steelworks Young Non-Regular Workers Memorial Press Conference" held in front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul on the afternoon of the 9th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongwook Park] POSCO Pohang Steelworks has announced a complete ban on the operation of two-wheeled vehicles used by about 10,000 employees, including subcontractors, for commuting within the plant, sparking backlash from employees.

According to Pohang Steelworks on the 16th, starting from the 22nd, two-wheeled vehicle operation will be completely restricted inside the steelworks, and until the end of March, one personal vehicle will be allowed per five issued access cards. After that, entry to the steelworks will be allowed only with vehicles provided by each subcontractor and partner company.

This measure is part of a response to an incident last December where a subcontracted worker riding a two-wheeled vehicle on the steelworks road was fatally struck by a large dump truck.

In response, on-site employees are strongly opposing the decision, calling it a desk-bound policy that ignores work efficiency. They argue that without two-wheeled vehicles, commuting and moving between factories will become difficult, and subcontractors and partner companies will face the burden of purchasing a large number of corporate vehicles.

The Pohang Steelworks premises are vast, with a distance of 8 km from POSCO Gate 1 to the FINEX plant, and over 10 km to the billet and rolling plants. Related to this, a petition urging the withdrawal of the two-wheeled vehicle entry restriction has been posted on the Blue House National Petition site since the 15th.

Some view this as related to the Serious Accident Punishment Act, which passed the National Assembly last month and will be enforced from January next year. This law strengthens penalties on companies and managers in the event of industrial accidents or major incidents, holding companies liable for damages up to ten times the amount if there is intentional or gross negligence.

A Pohang Steelworks official stated, "The ban on two-wheeled vehicles is a measure for everyone's safety," and added, "We will prepare various measures, including providing alternative transportation, so that workers do not experience inconvenience."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.