Park Kwang-on, floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on the 1st that he will work with the ruling party to pass an amendment to the Industrial Safety and Health Act to protect workers during the heatwave within this month.
Park Kwang-on, the floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the Dong Seoul Postal Logistics Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 1st to inspect the sorting and delivery work of post office parcels amid the heatwave. [Photo by Yonhap News]
At the National Assembly floor countermeasure meeting that day, Park said, “We must protect the people working in the heat with enforceable legislation,” and added, “We will do our utmost to pass the amendment to the Industrial Safety and Health Act, which mandates rest breaks when the heatwave exceeds a certain standard, within August.”
Park emphasized, “Heatwaves are a major disaster in summer, and the National Assembly has the duty to ensure that natural disasters do not become social disasters,” and stated, “There can be no division between ruling and opposition parties when it comes to laws preventing and responding to social disasters. I propose to the People Power Party that both parties agree to promptly pass legislation protecting workers during heatwaves.”
Song Ki-heon, senior deputy floor leader of the Democratic Party, said, “The standing committee secretaries should negotiate and then the leadership of both parties should discuss the results. The hot season comes every year, and if we do not act now, it may not be possible next year either. We will closely consult with the People Power Party to ensure this is achieved in the August National Assembly session.”
On the same day, the Democratic Party launched the ‘Minsheng Filling Team’ led by floor leader Park and senior deputy floor leader Song. As their first schedule, they visited the Dong Seoul Postal Logistics Center in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, in the morning to inspect the working conditions of postal logistics workers laboring in the heatwave. After observing the hardships of workers sorting parcels, Park told reporters, “There have been workers who died due to the heatwave, and we must ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.”
Senior deputy floor leader Song explained, “The Minsheng Filling Team will operate temporarily in August under the slogan ‘Democratic Party filling the lives of the people,’” and added, “We have planned a total of seven basic activities and will visit additional livelihood sites if necessary.”
The Minsheng Filling Team plans to hold a meeting with the bereaved families of the Osong underpass disaster on the 2nd. On the 3rd, they will visit the Korea Startup Forum, where about 2,000 domestic startup member companies gather, and on the 4th, they plan to hold an on-site meeting with elementary school teachers.
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