Changwon Residents' Assembly "Citizens Want Ordinance for Cafeteria Workers"

Delivery of a Petition List with 7,723 Signatories to the City Council

The Changwon Residents' Assembly Organizing Committee in Gyeongnam delivered a citizen petition requesting the proposal of the 'Ordinance for the Health Promotion of Collective Catering Workers' to the Changwon Special City Council on the 7th.

Before the delivery, the organizing committee held a press conference in front of the city council, stating, "Collective catering workers are present in various places such as schools, public institutions, hospitals, factories, social welfare centers, and daycare centers," and "Their lung cancer incidence rate is 20 times higher than that of the general public, and one in three has abnormal lung findings."

They continued, "We are submitting today to the city council the 7,723 ordinance petition signatures collected over three months through the residents' ordinance proposal campaign that started on May 2," and urged, "Changwon City must promptly enact the ordinance to protect the lives of catering workers."

The Organizing Committee of the Changwon Residents' Assembly in Gyeongnam is holding a press conference in front of the Changwon Special City Council.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

They emphasized, "The citizens who participated in the petition uniformly expressed shock and concern about the working environment of catering workers who prepare a precious meal," and "If this ordinance passes, it will be the first ordinance in the country established for catering workers."

The organizing committee delivered the ordinance draft, which includes ▲support for lung CT scan costs for catering workers ▲establishment of a health support center ▲ventilation improvement measures ▲preparation of a substitute workforce system ▲implementation of a health status survey for workers, along with the petition signatures to the city council secretariat, and met with Vice Chairman Moon Soon-gyu.

According to the city council, the council will announce the receipt of the petition signatures within five days, review whether the petition meets the requirements, whether the petitioners have regional voting rights, and whether there are any objections, and then decide whether to accept the ordinance.

If the ordinance is accepted, it is expected to be proposed within 30 days from the date of acceptance.

Moon Soon-gyu, Vice Chairman of Changwon Special City Council in Gyeongnam, is meeting with citizens.
[Photo by Lee Se-ryeong]

Vice Chairman Moon said, "Since this is an ordinance requested by residents who have united their will, I believe its weight is special," and added, "We will do our best to expedite the review schedule and actively work to pass the ordinance."

A city council official stated, "We will carefully and promptly review the procedure," and added, "If the ordinance is accepted, it is expected to be proposed under the chairman's name at the regular session as early as November."

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