Newsletter from Solidarity for Worker’s Health (2015. August)  

 

#1. Death of subcontract worker in Hyundai and its major shareholder Chung Mong-Joon ruining for Fifa presidency

There are forty thousand subcontract worker in Hyundai Heavy Industry (HHI). These workers take the burden of the heaviest and most dangerous works but suffer low-wage and poor work environment. On just last year, 2014, 13 subcontract workers died during working, and all accidents were brutal one, which would not happened if the corporate had concerned a bit more about workplace safety.

To reduce the accident and death on workplaces, HHI subcontract labor union and Solidarity for Worker’s Health is preceding various activities. One of them is informing overseas investors and ship-owners of dreadful situation in workplaces. On May 20th, we have received some answers from a few investors that they will put their effort on making safer shipyard.

Continuing our activities, we has distributed a report on workplace injuries on HHI on English (file is attached) and operated English homepage in order to inform more overseas investors and ship-owners (http://unsafehhi.org/)

On August 15th, major shareholder of HHI Jung Mong-Joon held a press conference in Paris to announce his candidacy for FIFA presidency. On that day, subcontract workers of HHI held press conference for pressing improvement of workplace safety and treatment of injured subcontract workers in front of National Assembly building of the Republic of Korea (Relevant article in English http://laborhealth.or.kr/40649 ).

 

#2. Asserting legislation to penalize corporation for serious disaster

Laborlegislation

Still, workplace fatalities kill more than 2,000 people every year. Solidarity for Worker’s Health has been claiming for legislation of Corporate Homicide Act for more than 10 years in South Korea. Currently, countries like United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia have implemented these legislations, which are also known as corporate manslaughter law and corporate killing law.

On April 16th, 2014, ferry named Sewolho went down, which caused 304 deaths. Taking this as a momentum, civic society of Korea including Solidarity for Sewol Ferry Tragedy (http://sewolho416.org/) has gathered to draw effort to legislate a bill which aims for making a safer society, hoping never again to meet another disasters like Sewolho.