Simsangjeong, "Will Strive for Democratization of the Platform Economy"

"Innovative Digital Companies' Work Environments Don't Seem That Innovative"
Need to Realize Worker Director System

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Ju-yeon] Shim Sang-jung, a presidential candidate from the Justice Party, stated on the 13th, "In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, the age of artificial intelligence, and platform capitalism, I will strive for the democratization of the platform economy so that the benefits of innovation are distributed not only to companies and shareholders but also fairly to workers."

Sim Sang-jung, the Justice Party presidential primary candidate, is holding a press conference to announce the 'New Farmer Law' pledge at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 6th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

On this day, Shim said at the 'Policy Proposal Ceremony of the IT Committee of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' held at the National Assembly, "The working environment inside innovative digital companies does not seem to be very innovative."

Shim, who revealed that she is preparing a 'Digital Innovation Industry Reform Pledge' as one of her five core pledges, emphasized, "The digital innovation industry should not be limited to technological innovation," adding, "It is very important to pursue social innovation such as a revolutionary strengthening of labor rights and workers' participation in management." She also pointed out, "With the intensification of non-face-to-face situations due to COVID-19, dependence on digital technology has increased, but recently, advanced digital platform companies have rapidly grown and expanded in scale, drawing criticism that they resemble the negative aspects of past conglomerates."

He said, "According to a recent survey, one out of four IT industry workers suffered from overtime work exceeding 12 hours a day, but only 10.4% received overtime pay," raising his voice, "The comprehensive wage system, which provides no compensation despite overwork and overtime, is also a major cause. This issue must be improved."

Additionally, Shim mentioned cases such as a Naver worker who took their own life in May due to excessive work orders and harassment from superiors, Kakao, which was subject to labor supervision for withholding annual leave pay and not paying overtime allowances, and Nexon, which issued unfair standby orders, criticizing, "Innovation is not just a means for companies to make money; true innovation comes alive when it brings better working conditions and welfare to workers."

Shim said, "If a company is innovative, it must establish institutional measures to prevent such unfair labor practices and harassment," adding, "Guaranteeing the right to organize is important even in IT companies and digital platform companies, and that is why labor unions are important." She continued, "It is also essential to realize the worker director system so that workers' voices can be properly reflected in corporate management."

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