Gwangju Gwangsan-gu "The Great Voyage Toward Sustainable Jobs Begins"

“The ship sailing toward sustainable jobs begins its voyage with Gwangsan-gu’s citizen-participatory social dialogue.”

With the declaration of 107 citizens of Gwangju Metropolitan City’s Gwangsan-gu, the curtain has risen on a social dialogue aimed at discovering and realizing sustainable jobs.

On the 2nd, Gwangsan-gu held the ‘Declaration Ceremony for Social Dialogue for a Refreshing (Sustainable Jobs Desired by Citizens) Gwangsan’ at Yunsangwon Hall on the 7th floor of the district office.

About 150 people attended, including Park Byeong-gyu, Mayor of Gwangsan-gu, the ‘Sustainable Jobs Discovery Team’ (hereafter Discovery Team), the Sustainable Jobs Social Dialogue Promotion Team, the Advisory Group for the Creation of a Sustainable Jobs Special Zone, related organizations, and members of the Gwangsan-gu Council, marking the start of a social dialogue where citizens ask and answer for themselves to realize the Sustainable Jobs Special Zone.

At the declaration ceremony, conducted with the concept of a voyage of an adventure ship, ‘Captain’ Mayor Park gave a presentation on the theme ‘Why Social Dialogue?’ He said, “Until now, our society has not asked citizens what kind of jobs they need or how to create jobs that citizens want,” adding, “Gwangsan-gu’s citizen-participatory social dialogue will be the first effort to implement job and economic democracy.”

The Discovery Team, which will be the main body of the social dialogue going forward, consists of 107 citizens. They will be divided into four subcommittees: manufacturing, public services, private services, and community jobs.

Gwangsan-gu plans to hold subcommittee discussions until September on what kinds of jobs can be good jobs, and in October, it will hold a large forum summarizing the entire discussion process to establish the Gwangsan-gu sustainable job model and set discussion topics (questions).

Four citizens representing each subcommittee of the Discovery Team pledged through the ‘Social Dialogue Promise for Discovering Sustainable Job Agendas’ that day, saying, “We will strive for discussions and agreements beneficial to all and discover job agendas for a better life not only for the current generation but also for future generations,” and “We will respect and steadily implement the job policies agreed upon through dialogue.”

Following this, all participating citizens of the Discovery Team held a ‘Departure Ceremony’ declaring the start of social dialogue, expressing their hopes related to sustainable jobs. A staged performance was held where each person wrote their dream job on a paper boat and sent it afloat, with wishes such as “Jobs where no one is left behind and everyone is happy,” “Stable jobs that resolve inequality,” “Work-life balance (WLB), wages, horizontal structure, jobs anyone can do,” “Jobs where youth can work with peace of mind,” and “Jobs for women, the elderly, and housewives.”

Mayor Park said, “Citizen-participatory social dialogue is the ship sailing toward sustainable jobs,” and added, “We will do our utmost to help and join so that this ship reaches its destination of jobs that alleviate polarization and inequality, and better jobs that all citizens want and need.”