"Need for Measures to Improve Labor Conditions in Gwangju Area Workplaces with Fewer Than 5 Employees"

Gwangju City Council's New Labor Special Committee Holds 'Policy Debate'

Voices have emerged calling for effective measures for workers in workplaces with fewer than five employees in the Gwangju area.

The Special Committee on New Labor of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Chair Chae Eun-ji) announced on the 29th that it held a policy forum to improve the working environment of workplaces with fewer than five employees in Gwangju in collaboration with the Gwangju Non-regular Workers Support Center.

The policy forum was organized to listen to various opinions and seek improvement measures by inviting experts from labor, management, civil society, and government sectors based on the results of the 2022 survey on the working conditions of workplaces with fewer than five employees in the Gwangju area.

Chair Chae Eun-ji served as the moderator, and the presentation was given by Kim Hyun-mi, a policy researcher at the Gwangju Non-regular Workers Support Center. Discussants included Jeong Jin-woo, Chair of the Rights Recovery Union; Yoon Sang-hyun, Head of Management Support at the Gwangju Branch of the Korea Foodservice Industry Association; Oh Joo-seop, Secretary General of the Gwangju Federation of Economic Organizations; and Choi Seok-won, Labor Policy Team Leader at the Gwangju Labor Policy Office.

At the forum, the results of the survey on the working environment of workplaces with fewer than five employees were announced.

It was found that 25.7% were not enrolled in social insurance, 48.8% of workplace workers did not receive workplace health checkups, and 8.8% experienced work-related accidents or illnesses. This rate was significantly higher than the general industrial accident rate (0.63%), and among them, 75% did not receive industrial accident treatment and handled it at their own expense.

The discussants pointed out that workers in workplaces with fewer than five employees are excluded from labor laws that guarantee workers' rights, such as the Labor Standards Act and the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, placing them in a blind spot and discrimination zone. They noted problems not only in the working environment where workers' health and safety are not guaranteed but also in issues such as the absence of written labor contracts, concealment of industrial accidents, and violations of minimum wage laws.

As alternatives, various opinions were raised, including institutional improvements at the government level, enactment of related ordinances by Gwangju Metropolitan City, and support for social insurance premiums.

Chair Chae said, "The industrial accident rate among workers in workplaces with fewer than five employees who participated in the survey was very high at 8.8%, and overall working conditions are very poor, but national and local government policies to support them are minimal. We will actively strive in the legislative process to enable Gwangju City to prepare effective measures for workers in workplaces with fewer than five employees."

Meanwhile, Chair Chae previously argued for proactive administration by Gwangju City to prevent industrial accidents and ensure safety and health in a five-minute speech at the 3rd plenary session of the 2nd regular meeting of the 312th session.

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