At the construction site of the Yongin semiconductor cluster, where two workers died in succession, violations of the regular 52-hour weekly work limit and unpaid holiday work allowances were found, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) issued a correction order.
The ministry on Jan. 22 announced the results of a labor inspection of four subcontractors of SK ecoplant at the construction site of a semiconductor production facility in Yongin, Gyeonggi.
The ministry said it confirmed that 827 of the 1,248 people (66.3%) mobilized for work at the site worked more than 52 hours a week. Under the Labor Standards Act, the statutory working hours are 40 hours per week, and the limit for extended work beyond that is up to 12 hours per week. Exceeding this constitutes a violation of the law. It also caught four subcontractors failing to pay 37 million won in holiday work allowances and other wages.
For violations of the extended work limit, the ministry ordered submission of a plan to improve working hours by Jan. 28 and to submit actual results, such as records verifying attendance, by May 8. If there is no improvement, it will immediately pursue legal action. It ordered immediate correction for unpaid items including holiday work allowances.
Earlier at the Yongin semiconductor cluster construction site, after a formwork carpenter died of acute myocardial infarction in Nov. last year, on the 13th of this month a subcontracted construction worker collapsed and died while working on rebar. Both workers were found to belong to the same subcontractor, identified as Company A.
Starting today, the ministry will conduct additional labor inspections at all sites where Company A is involved and, if violations are found, will take stern action. It also plans to issue administrative guidance, including suspending night and overnight work, until vascular health screenings are completed for all workers at SK ecoplant sites.