One month after the Serious Accidents Punishment Act (SAP Act) was expanded to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, a bill to postpone its enforcement once again failed to pass the National Assembly.
On the 29th, the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) sector issued a statement expressing "deep sorrow and despair" over the failure to postpone the SAP Act. At the plenary session of the National Assembly that day, the bill to delay the application of the SAP Act, which has been expanded to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees since the 27th of last month, was not even submitted for consideration.
On the first day of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act enforcement, which allows for the punishment of management officials when serious accidents such as worker fatalities occur, a construction site of an apartment in Gyeonggi-do on the 27th./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
The SME sector appealed, "Starting from the 31st at the National Assembly and continuing with rallies across the country including the Seoul metropolitan area and Honam region, a total of about 12,500 SME owners, small construction business owners, and small merchants gathered to earnestly plead for the postponement of the law’s enforcement." They added, "However, with the bill’s failure to pass again today following February 1st, more than 830,000 SME owners, small construction business owners, and small merchants have fallen into the fear of business closure due to criminal penalties."
They continued, "It is an extremely harsh act to ignore the request to at least allow time to prepare for those who are doing their best to build safe workplaces together with their workers despite the difficult conditions caused by the complex economic crisis."
Furthermore, they emphasized, "Even though there are already 1,222 regulations related to the Industrial Safety and Health Act, excessively punishing business owners through the Serious Accidents Punishment Act will lead to the closure of SMEs and unemployment among workers, making people’s livelihoods more difficult."
The SME sector urged, "We ask that the cries of SME owners and the public’s livelihood not be ignored, and that the bill to postpone the enforcement of the Serious Accidents Punishment Act be promptly processed during the remaining term." They concluded, "We hope the 21st National Assembly will be remembered as a legislature that supports the economy through politics and works together to overcome the difficulties faced by SMEs."
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