Closed-circuit (CC)TVs installed for safety management at shipyards, where safety accidents such as falls and fires are likely to occur, have emerged as a contentious issue between labor and management. Domestic shipbuilders have been in disputes with labor unions for years over operating CCTVs in workplaces.
On the 18th, the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries union (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Metal Workers' Union HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Branch) claimed it caught management monitoring the strike site through CCTVs at the Ulsan shipyard's control center. It said cameras were focusing on a turnover crane 40 meters high—where Union Branch Chief Baek Ho-seon is holding a high-altitude sit-in—and on the strike site.
In response, an HD Hyundai Heavy Industries official said, "The CCTVs were installed to show panoramic views of the shipyard. From the screens visible in the control center, it is not possible to identify individuals. Union opposition is so strong that we cannot even bring up talks on additional installations."
Hundreds of CCTVs have been installed at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard through labor-management agreements. They cover areas such as the exterior of workplaces, panoramic views of the shipyard, and entrances for crime prevention, facility safety, and fire prevention. There are no cameras pointing inside workplaces. The union opposed installing CCTVs on the grounds of potential time-and-attendance control and worker surveillance.
Installing CCTVs requires employee consent under the Personal Information Protection Act. It must also go through the labor-management council under the Act on the Promotion of Workers' Participation and Cooperation. Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries are also operating hundreds of CCTVs at their respective shipyards after the same process.
Because CCTVs do not cover the inside of workplaces, it is difficult to assess situations even when a safety accident occurs. Shipbuilders rely on testimony from nearby workers when an accident happens or have another worker reenact the accident to infer the cause.
One shipyard seeks union approval every time it launches a drone camera to check the construction process. They say efficiency suffers because approval is required each time and filming must stop immediately if a report comes in that workers are being filmed. There was also a case where a fixed ground camera was installed to shoot an in-house promotional video, but filming was halted after union members reported it.
A shipbuilding industry official said, "Since the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act, the importance of safety management has grown, making CCTVs inside workplaces necessary, but discussions on installation and operation have stopped due to union resistance," and added, "CCTVs are also needed to collect data for moving toward a smart shipyard."