The government, labor and management gathered in one place for the first time to discuss measures for "industrial safety."
The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) said on the 8th that it held a "labor safety tripartite leaders' meeting" at the Korea Press Center. Representing the government, Minister Kim Young-hoon and Ryu Hyun-cheol, head of the Industrial Safety and Health Headquarters at the ministry, attended; representing labor, Federation of Korean Trade Unions Chairperson Kim Dong-myung and Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KTCU) Chairperson Yang Kyung-soo attended; representing management, Korea Enterprises Federation Chairperson Sohn Kyung-shik and Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises Chairperson Kim Ki-moon attended.
It was the first official leaders' meeting of labor, management and government since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration. It was also the first such tripartite meeting with the KCTU chairperson present in about five years since June 2020, when they met to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.
At the meeting, the Minister proposed forming a "safe workplace committee" with the participation of labor, management and government. It was reported that they discussed ways to ensure labor-management participation, expand safety investment, and spread a safety culture.
Labor groups said measures to prevent industrial accidents must include guaranteeing the "right to stop work" so that workers can avoid dangerous tasks. Chairperson Kim Dong-myung said, "It is urgent to prepare institutional mechanisms that strengthen the safety responsibilities of prime contractors and clients," and Chairperson Yang Kyung-soo said, "We need a separate system for small business sites where fatal accidents are concentrated, as well as for specially employed and migrant workers. The government should step up to ensure the practical guarantee of stopping work on dangerous tasks."
Management, for its part, said the Lee Jae-myung administration's industrial accident prevention measures should not be centered on punishment. Chairperson Sohn Kyung-shik said, "It is necessary to shift the government's industrial safety policy stance toward prevention," and Chairperson Kim Ki-moon said, "Small and medium-sized enterprises face limits due to a lack of people and funds when it comes to preventing industrial accidents. The government should expand support and provide various incentives to small and medium-sized enterprises that do well in accident prevention."
The Minister said, "This is a meaningful starting point toward the shared value of safe workplaces," adding, "Only when labor and management both actively participate as agents of prevention and fulfill their responsibilities can safe workplaces be realized."