"Not Giving Vacation but Demanding Vaccination..." The 'Vaccine Power Abuse' That Harasses Office Workers

A significant number of employees have reported suffering from workplace harassment related to COVID-19 vaccination. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Getty Images Bank]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] "After vaccination, my muscle pain was severe and I had a fever, so I tried to leave early, but my boss shouted, 'How can you leave early for a slight fever?'"

"I previously experienced severe side effects from the vaccine and have not been able to get vaccinated, but my boss won't even eat with me and treats me like an invisible person."

On the 14th, the civic group Workplace Bullying 119 disclosed cases of workplace harassment related to COVID-19 vaccination.

The group received a total of 80 reports of 'vaccine power harassment' from July to this month, most of which were from employees of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Many cases involved not granting vaccine leave, preventing the use of annual leave, or assigning work even during vaccine leave.

The group pointed out, "Countries like the United States, Canada, and Italy have introduced vaccine leave systems allowing paid leave after vaccination. In contrast, South Korea only 'recommends' paid vaccine leave rather than mandating it, so only public institutions or large company employees can comfortably use vaccine leave."

A significant number of employees have reported suffering from workplace bullying related to COVID-19 vaccination. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

There were also cases of ostracizing unvaccinated employees. Employees who delayed vaccination due to concerns about side effects or underlying health conditions were harassed.

One informant said, "I have an underlying condition and plan to get vaccinated later, but the company insists that everyone must get vaccinated without exception," adding, "They say if a COVID infection occurs, they will claim damages or impose disciplinary action or dismissal."

Regarding this, Kim Ki-hong, a labor attorney at Workplace Bullying 119, pointed out, "If someone is dismissed for not getting vaccinated, it is highly likely to be considered unfair dismissal."

Oh Jin-ho, Executive Director of Workplace Bullying 119, stated, "If paid leave had been mandated for all vaccinated workers and the government had supported the costs, vaccine power harassment would not have occurred," and claimed, "The government is responsible for creating discrimination and vaccine power harassment."

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