Construction Association: "It Is Unfair for Construction Companies to Pass Ready-Mix Concrete Drivers' Industrial Accident Insurance Fees"

A ready-mix concrete mixer truck is parked at a ready-mix concrete company in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Noh Kyung-jo] The Korea Construction Association stated on the 3rd that "it is unfair for the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service to retroactively charge industrial accident (industrial injury) insurance premiums to ready-mixed concrete mixer truck drivers."

Ready-mixed concrete mixer truck drivers are so-called special-type workers who have been covered under the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act since 2008, with ready-mixed concrete manufacturers subscribing to the insurance and paying premiums. However, the Ministry of Employment and Labor changed the obligation to subscribe to industrial accident insurance for these drivers from the ready-mixed concrete manufacturers to the primary construction contractors starting January 2019, under the pretext of strengthening the responsibility of the primary contractors.

The association emphasized, "Construction companies only enter into purchase contracts with ready-mixed concrete manufacturers and have no contractual relationship with the ready-mixed concrete mixer truck drivers. Nevertheless, imposing the obligation to subscribe to industrial accident insurance on them is problematic." It added that construction companies are also voicing grievances over this structural issue.

It continued, "Unlike other equipment, ready-mixed concrete mixer trucks do not perform any construction-related work at the construction site. According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor's logic, it would be like a consumer having to pay the industrial accident insurance premium for a delivery driver when receiving a package from online shopping," it pointed out.

Furthermore, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor issued an authoritative interpretation stating that in public construction projects where the client directly purchases and supplies ready-mixed concrete, the ready-mixed concrete manufacturers are obligated to pay industrial accident insurance premiums, showing inconsistency in standards," it said.

The construction amount set by the client does not include the industrial accident insurance premium portion for the ready-mixed concrete mixer truck drivers, so construction companies end up paying it. The association lamented, "Even though the Ministry of Employment and Labor is well aware of this reality, it is forcing unfair sacrifices on construction companies under the guise of administrative convenience and strengthening the responsibility of primary contractors."

It added, "We have strongly protested and suggested improvements to the Ministry of Employment and Labor multiple times, but they remain indifferent, insisting that the primary contractor must bear all industrial accident responsibilities arising at construction sites. The dissatisfaction among construction companies has reached a boiling point. The Ministry of Employment and Labor must correct the erroneous guidelines and normalize the industrial accident insurance payment system even now," it said.

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