Human Rights Commission Recommends Punishment for Perpetrators of Workplace Bullying...

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has determined that it is necessary to expand the scope of workplace harassment and establish punishment regulations.

The Human Rights Commission recently recommended this to the Minister of Employment and Labor, stating, "Incidents of 'workplace harassment' continue to occur, such as verbal abuse by IT company CEOs and families of conglomerate owners, and the suicide of an apartment security worker," adding, "Workplace harassment is a serious human rights violation that undermines human dignity, but due to insufficient regulations, there are blind spots in protection and limitations in effectiveness."

The Commission pointed out, "Under the current Labor Standards Act, 'workplace harassment' is limited to harassment by employers and workers within the workplace, so external harassment by third parties such as customers, apartment residents, or relatives of company representatives is not regulated," and recommended that harassment by third parties should also be regulated through legal amendments.

The Human Rights Commission believes that the scope of 'workplace harassment' under the current Labor Standards Act should be expanded. They proposed expanding the scope of perpetrators in the law from the existing 'employers or workers' to 'anyone,' or expanding the application scope of Article 41 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (preventive measures against health damage caused by verbal abuse from customers).

They also stated, "Although the Labor Standards Act prohibits workplace harassment, there are no provisions to punish perpetrators, which could reduce the clause to a declarative meaning," and recommended establishing punishment regulations for perpetrators and preparing appropriate sanctions for employers who fail to take necessary measures.

Furthermore, the Human Rights Commission recommended expanding the prohibition of workplace harassment under the Labor Standards Act to workplaces with 'four or fewer employees,' which are currently excluded from application, and also designating preventive education as mandatory legal education.