Seoul National University President: "Conduct Comprehensive Training to Prevent Workplace Bullying Recurrence"

President-Worker Meeting... Bereaved Family "No Disadvantages for Cleaning Workers Who Testified"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Seoul National University President Oh Se-jeong announced that the university will conduct comprehensive workplace harassment training, citing a lack of respect for others in relation to the death of a cleaning worker.

On the 5th, President Oh held a meeting with cleaning workers and their bereaved families in the large conference room on the 4th floor of the Seoul National University Administration Building, stating, "One of the things I felt from this incident is the societal perception that respect for others is lacking at Seoul National University."

He added, "This includes not only institutional recognition but also feeling those you work with as colleagues and members," and said, "Although the issue arose in the Gwanak Student Dormitory, it is not just a problem of Gwanak Dormitory but a problem affecting many workers."

He continued, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor's investigation concluded that the situation violated the Labor Standards Act, but we will consider workers' human rights more broadly," adding, "This is not something that will end in a day or two; we will look at how to improve the overall organizational culture in the long term."

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced the results of an investigation finding that dormitory cleaning workers were forced to take written exams and wear meeting attire, constituting workplace harassment, and instructed Seoul National University to immediately improve the situation and establish measures to prevent recurrence.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

At the meeting, Lee, the husband of the deceased cleaning worker, said, "I cannot help but talk about secondary victimization," and claimed, "If the school's judgment had been even slightly faster, our family would not have appeared as pitiful people trying to gain something through lies and force."

Lee requested that the school take the most necessary measures to protect the workers who courageously testified alongside his wife and ensure they do not suffer disadvantages until retirement.

He added, "Following government policy, please recognize (cleaning workers) as members, and we also want to be hardworking members."

Before the meeting, the Seoul National University student group "Joint Action to Make Seoul National University Free of Irregular Workers" and the Seoul National University Facilities Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference to announce the results of a petition for improving the treatment of cleaning workers at Seoul National University.

The petition for improved treatment, conducted from the 10th of last month to the 4th of this month, gathered signatures from 8,305 individuals and 312 organizations. The results of this petition were delivered to President Oh through the cleaning workers.

They urged Seoul National University to discipline the safety management team leader responsible for workplace harassment, form a joint industrial accident investigation team, and increase the workforce of cleaning and security workers.

A union official stated, "We demanded that the school transfer the safety management team leader to another Seoul National University campus and discipline Student Affairs Director Koo Min-kyo, who made inappropriate secondary victimization remarks on social media (SNS) and elsewhere."