1. Abstract
Each year over 2,000 workers die from occupational accidents in South Korea. On average, more than 3 workers die as a result of occupational accidents every day. Unfortunately, deaths also occur in young part-time workers and practicum students who work during field placement as a part of the vocational high school curriculum. According to occupational accident statistics of the Ministry of Employment and Labor provided by Ms. Lee Jung Mi, a member of the Korean National Assembly, more than 1,000 occupational accidents occur each year among young workers under the age of 19. Research data of the Korean Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2011-2016) showed that approximately 15% of motorcycle accident emergency room patients were young workers. The rate of serious work-related accidents and suicide rates in practicum students during their field placement has steadily increased from 2011 to 2017. It is clear that young workers’ labor rights in South Korea are jeopardized by increasing numbers of fatal workplace injuries.
In 2015, the Korean Institute of Labor, Safety and Health (KILSH) organized a taskforce for labor health rights of young workers as a principal part of the organization’s work. Since then, KILSH has engaged in many activities to improve labor health rights among young workers and the standards of labor safety and health. KILSH has also participated in various research studies and campaigns to build labor rights networks and to promote safer laboratory and working conditions in vocational high schools. Throughout this work, we have learned that there is a lack of awareness about labor rights in South Korea, especially among young workers.
KILSH organized a dedicated research team to develop a platform on labor safety and health for youth workers. The research team included public interest NGO representatives, lawyers, and doctors. The team examined materials from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency and other websites dealing with rights of youth in South Korea along with information from five government websites. The research team met once a month from March 2019 and shared findings and reviewed domestic platforms regarding the fundamental labor rights of young workers. The KILSH team collected feedback at meetings with youth and shared the results at the 2019 conference of the Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. In 2020, the results will be shared with the public through various media and programs so that a manual on youth labor rights can be developed that will set a direction for future research.
The KILSH research team reviewed a 2018 report by the National Youth Policy Institute entitled ‘Analysis of Guarantees for Basic Labor Rights for Youth’ published in 2018 to examine the current state of fundamental labor rights of youth in South Korea.
The National Youth Policy Institute report proposed policy suggestions to guarantee fundamental labor rights of youth such as the right to decent job, right to information about working conditions, the right to safety at work, the right to health check-ups, and the right to mental health care when needed. The report also connected youth rights with the overall infrastructure of human rights including fundamental labor rights and non-discriminatory fair employee compensation as well as education and protection of human rights.
As for the policy suggestions regarding vulnerable groups of young people, the report recommended providing systematic education, strengthening services provided by relevant institutions to protect basic labor rights, institutionalizing the cooperation system among local community and relevant organizations, and creating a system to deliver services for youth who are currently outside of current services.
The KILSH team also reviewed various youth-related content on the website of the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency. There was no relevant information provided on categories of workers in terms of occupational safety and health and no information was found even when searching the website using the word, “youth”. We also examined a list of organizations that offer counselling and help for youth. Most of them only provide basic information about fundamental labor rights, minimum wage, the ten commandments of part time jobs, and industrial accidents. They did not provide detailed information on labor safety and health that young workers should know.
The KILSH research team also reviewed youth labor, safety and health content on government websites developed by the US State of California, Canada, EU, Finland, UK and US. The research team examined different categories of information about occupational safety and youth; the readability of the content; the accessibility of the information; and the levels of youth engagement and participation. Then, the team summarized the peculiarities and limitations of each government website and used this information along with relevant content to build a platform on labor safety and health for youth in South Korea.
The US State of California was the only one among the six reviewed platforms that contained a platform on labor safety and health for young workers. The California government website contained various materials and content for young workers which was easy to find and also provided descriptions of businesses at which many youths work. Information was also provided about accidents and work-related diseases and specific information about the employer’s health and safety legal responsibilities for providing a safe workplace.
The other five government websites provided information about occupational health safety in youth which was similar to the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency. However, all five countries provided detailed information for each group such as youth, women, elders, and immigrant workers. For example, in the case of the US Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) the website helped play an effective role in connecting various resources and information through different organizations to youth workers. Legal and wage discrimination issues in youth labor were linked to the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, and the health impacts of toxic substances were linked to the websites of OSHA and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). In particular, the US OSHA website explained specific preventive and management measures for accidents and health problems in fast-food stores and construction industries, where youth frequently work. The US OSHA website also provided various relevant educational resources and links to specialized agencies for youth employment services.
The first theme of the Canadian Occupational Safety and Health Center’s information about youth was bullying. The website explained that bullying is a problem not only in the workplace, but also in schools and in the society outside of the workplace. The website provided practical ways to take action and seek support.
In the case of the EU, the importance and necessity of labor rights education was concretely presented, and many educational materials were provided that can be utilized by teachers and parents. Interestingly, the EU website emphasized that the need for lifelong labor rights education should start from kindergarten and that labor education should be part of the regular curriculum throughout higher education. The provision of lifelong education on labor rights can promote a safer work environment.
All of the foreign government websites explained the importance of youth’s right to know and the right to refuse to work when information on labor rights is not provided during employment. The websites also noted the importance of utilizing resources such as trade unions, state agencies, parents, and teachers. The importance of trade unions was emphasized with explanations about the critical role of trade unions in implementation of safety and health at workplaces. Unlike South Korea, it was clear that these government websites displayed respect for trade unions and implied that the governments regarded them as equal partners.
The government websites also had some limitations. For example, none of them contained a section on the webpage where users could post suggestions or provide feedback. Although some countries have developed programs to enhance public relations and participation, such as various campaigns, debates and research, it seems necessary to establish direct communication spaces on the website. The websites would also be more useful if they could provide detailed information for more diverse groups such as migrants, disabled workers, women, sexual minorities, and sick and vulnerable workers. They should be updated with new information related to recent changes in work such as platform work and automation.
One important limitation of this study is that we were not able to confirm how useful the content provided by the government websites actually is to young workers. This important element may be appropriate for further research. In regards to detailed reports of about each country, please refer to the entire report.
2. Proposal
The KILSH team proposes the following actions to develop an independent platform on labor safety and health for young workers. Currently, the information provided by the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency does not provide a sufficient guide for youth workers. It is necessary to develop both a platform on labor safety and health for youth as well as upgrade the government website.
Government agencies should do the following:
- Provide spaces to collect the opinions of young workers when building and operating websites. This would help inform development of policy relevant to youth as well as ensuring their participation.
- Provide concrete and necessary information about youth labor issues, including the right to know.
- Give examples of relevant cases and problems relevant to youth labor such as bullying, emotional labor, and platform work.
- Provide information that is suitable for diverse groups of people such as women, the disabled, LGBTQ workers, workers vulnerable to disease and workers who are exposed to others. Appropriate materials for each target group should be developed. Research focusing on these groups is needed.
- Provide information about youth occupational safety and health to potential resources such as teachers, parents, healthcare workers, trade unions, public interest NGOs, business owners, and others.
- Prepare infrastructure to provide an education about labor safety and health from kindergarten onwards.
A lot of time and effort will be required to actualize these suggestions. However, as the saying goes, “A good beginning is half the battle.” We hope this research can help play a part in developing this process. KILSH will work to create a manual to build a platform on labor safety and health for young workers in South Korea including information for diverse target audiences, along with standards and principles when providing information along with various resources.
Comments