Students "Other dormitory situations are the same... It's unfortunate, urgent need for personnel distribution"
Union "Dismiss managers who abuse power... Demand measures to improve labor conditions"
Bereaved families "Workers must be able to return home" angered
School "Will actively cooperate if industrial accident claims are made"
The garbage area of Gwanak Student Dormitory at Seoul National University. Photo by So-Young Kim sozero815@asiae.co.kr
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] "I never thought one person could clean this place."
A (20), who lives in a dormitory at Seoul National University, said, "There are eight restrooms and shower rooms in this entire building," adding, "It's just impossible for one person to clean all of this alone."
The Gwanak Student Dormitory for female students (Building 925), where A resides, was built around 1983 and has no elevator. As a result, cleaning workers carry six or seven 100-liter trash bags daily up and down the stairs.
According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, on the 8th, the highest perceived temperature nationwide was around 31 degrees Celsius. For cleaning workers, their uniforms and clothes inevitably become soaked with sweat, and they struggle to breathe. Unable to endure such harsh working conditions and workplace bullying, one cleaning worker passed away while carrying trash bags.
On the 26th of last month, cleaning worker Lee was found dead in the cleaning workers' break room at the university dormitory. The bereaved family and labor union raised their voices, claiming workplace bullying was the cause of death. The husband, who lost his wife, expressed anger and sorrow over the reality that he would never see the mother of his children and his wife again. Seoul National University students called for improvements to the suffocating work environment of cleaning workers.
On the 7th, the National Democratic General Labor Union (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions) and the bereaved family held a press conference in front of the administrative building at Seoul National University Gwanak Campus, condemning President Oh Se-jeong and demanding measures to prevent recurrence related to the death of cleaning worker Lee.
The union pointed out, "The deceased suffered extreme stress due to unfair bullying and military-style work orders from the safety management team leader of Gwanak Student Dormitory, who was appointed on the 1st of last month, and the Seoul National University side."
At the press conference, Park Moon-soon, head of the Seoul branch's legal policy department of the union, stated, "The cause of death was a ruptured acute myocardial infarction," adding, "We believe stress from workplace bullying contributed, and we plan to apply for industrial accident recognition together with the bereaved family."
The union claimed again, "The deceased suffered extreme stress due to unfair bullying and military-style work orders from the safety management team leader of Gwanak Student Dormitory (dormitory), appointed on the 1st of last month, and the Seoul National University side."
The union criticized that the safety management team leader forced male cleaning workers to wear suits and female workers to dress neatly and prettily during meetings held every Wednesday.
The union also claimed that the team leader monitored the cleaning workers' meal times, newly implemented unprecedented cleaning inspections, and caused humiliation and stress by threatening to deduct one point from work evaluation scores if workers did not bring pens and notepads.
The written exam that cleaning workers at Seoul National University dormitories had to take. There are criticisms that the exam is unrelated to cleaning duties. The photo shows a Chinese characters and English test. Photo by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, National Democratic General Labor Union.
Another basis for bullying presented by the union was a 'test paper.' The test paper, disclosed by the union that day, included questions such as "Write Gwanak Student Dormitory in English or Chinese characters," "What is the year of completion of Dormitory Building 919?" and "What year was our organization first opened?" The union claimed that the results were publicly revealed at the next meeting to humiliate the workers, constituting bullying.
Regarding the labor intensity of the deceased Lee, the union explained, "Lee carried six to seven large 100L trash bags and food and recyclable waste daily on all floors of a dormitory housing 196 residents without an elevator," adding, "Due to increased food delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic, the labor intensity inevitably increased."
In fact, several 100L trash bags were piled up at a garbage site more than 50 meters away from the dormitory where Lee worked. A union official at the scene expressed frustration, saying, "Although some regions have banned the sale of 100L trash bags to improve cleaning workers' working conditions and are gradually reducing their use, they are still being used."
B (20), who lives in a nearby dormitory, said, "I didn't know about this until a friend told me, and then I read the article," adding, "Honestly, I had been somewhat concerned about it."
He said, "I heard there is a break room, but I often saw the cleaning worker resting on a chair behind an outdoor pillar," expressing, "Seeing that made me feel sorry."
C (21), who lives in another nearby dormitory, said, "There are opinions in the school community like 'It's unfortunate' and 'A proper investigation should be conducted,'" adding, "I think one person is working in our building too, but she does all the work alone in this nine-story building," expressing sympathy.
He continued, "There is an elevator where I live, but even though the cleaning worker cleans the trash daily, a huge amount of trash accumulates," adding, "It's currently vacation, so fewer students are here, but during the semester, there is much more."
A break room for cleaning workers inside the Gwanak Student Dormitory at Seoul National University. Photo by So-Young Kim sozero815@asiae.co.kr
Students called for improvements to the intense work environment of cleaning workers, including the deceased Lee, who work in the dormitories. A, who previously revealed living in this dormitory, said, "Additional personnel allocation seems desperately needed," adding, "There are many issues with the dormitory washing machines, so since there were many inquiries from students, the cleaning lady said she would clean them herself, and she did."
At the press conference, Lee's husband said, "After returning from overseas NGO activities and feeling lost, I was able to get a job at Seoul National University in 2019 through a government job seeker program," adding, "We were very happy and joyful thinking we could now educate our children without worry, but since last year, with the increase in students' food delivery orders due to COVID-19, the amount of trash also increased."
He said, "Although the workload increased and we endured a hard time for one and a half years, the school managed workers in a military-style manner without any measures," adding, "I can never see my wife and mother again on this earth, but if my wife's colleagues have to work in such a terrible environment, I stand here with the hope that the last sight of a family member leaving for work should not be the last."
He urged, "Workers go to work to work, not to die. Please consider workers' health and safety so that they can surely return home."
The National Democratic General Labor Union held a press conference on the 7th regarding the death of Mr. Lee, a cleaning worker at Seoul National University, urging Seoul National University to prepare countermeasures and punish those responsible. Photo by So Young Kim sozero815@asiae.co.kr
Kim Ihui, co-chair of the union, said, "Two years ago, we lost a worker," adding, "At that time, the worker left in the heat without ventilation or air conditioning. Since then, air conditioning was installed and some repairs were made, but the fundamental problem has not been resolved." Previously, in August 2019, a cleaning worker was found dead in a break room without air conditioning in the second engineering building at Seoul National University.
He continued, "The attitude of managers, the president, and towards workers has not changed at all. They just see it as ending by installing one air conditioner," adding, "This death incident shows how the school has been operated and how people have been treated."
The union demanded that Seoul National University, which condones and protects managers who commit workplace bullying, issue an official apology and establish measures, including ▲forming a joint industrial accident investigation team to ascertain the truth ▲dismissal of managers who committed workplace bullying ▲improvement of coercive military-style personnel management ▲formation of a consultative body to improve working conditions.
The union delivered a protest letter to President Oh Se-jeong, demanding that the school, which condones and protects managers who commit workplace bullying, issue an official apology and establish measures.
Meanwhile, a Seoul National University official said, "We are verifying the facts related to the worker's death," adding, "If a request for industrial accident processing is made, we will actively cooperate."
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