Assign Dedicated 1:1 Officials to Take Strong Action Upon Detecting Human Rights Violations and Other Illegal Activities
[Sinan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Jae-kyung] Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, is launching special management measures to eradicate illegal activities occurring at salt fields.
The county will assign dedicated public officials on a 1:1 basis to 83 workplaces employing workers out of a total of 756 salt fields in the region.
In addition, regular or occasional inspections will be conducted at least once a month targeting workplaces and workers to focus on violations of the Salt Industry Promotion Act and the Labor Standards Act, such as wage arrears, verbal abuse and assault, confinement, disability status, and preparation and retention of labor contracts.
In particular, if violations are detected, strong measures such as revocation of salt manufacturing business permits, restriction of subsidy support, and reporting to the Labor Office and investigative agencies will be taken.
Furthermore, multifaceted efforts will be made to improve working conditions at salt fields, including promoting the establishment of an Island Human Rights Center TF for the protection of workers' human rights and proposing support for safe accommodations for workers.
A Sinan-gun official said, "Above all, preventing human rights violations in advance is most important, and we will strive to prevent recurrence of problems by raising awareness of these issues through the designation of dedicated public officials and taking strong measures when violations are detected at employment sites."
He expressed regret, saying, "Due to worker-related issues such as wage arrears occurring at some workplaces in the area, the image of Sinan-gun, which has been painstakingly built up, is being damaged."
Currently, Sinan-gun is conducting joint inspections with related organizations such as Mokpo Police Station, the Labor Office, and disability rights advocacy agencies to prevent recurrence of human rights issues among salt field workers.
Meanwhile, Sinan-gun has been hampered by human rights issues of salt field workers despite strengthening its brand competitiveness both domestically and internationally, such as the Purple Island being selected as a World Tourism Excellent Village by the United Nations World Tourism Organization and the Sinan mudflats being registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
