Choi Ji-hyun, Gwangju City Council Member, Holds Institutional Improvement Forum
Proposes Measures Including Work Stoppage Rights and Expansion of Rest Spaces and Time
On the 31st, Choi Ji-hyun, a member of the Gwangju City Council, held a forum on institutional improvements for climate disasters and workers' health in the Budget and Accounts Special Committee room of the City Council. [Photo by Gwangju City Council]
Amid record-breaking heatwaves this summer and the death of a 20-year-old air conditioner installation worker from heatstroke, the harsh realities of labor conditions have come to light, raising urgent calls for institutional improvements to ensure the health and safety of workers threatened by climate disasters such as heatwaves and cold spells.
On the 31st, Choi Ji-hyun, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan Council (Democratic Party, Gwangsan 1), held a "Discussion on Institutional Improvements for Climate Disasters and Workers' Health" at the Council's Budget and Accounts Special Committee room. Co-hosted by the Gwangju Metropolitan Council and the Gwangju-Jeonnam Labor Safety and Health Watchdog (provisional), the discussion focused on worker safety issues caused by climate change and possible institutional reforms.
Park Young-min, a labor officer from the Jeonbuk Regional Headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, who delivered the first presentation, pointed out, "The death of a young worker due to heatstroke was caused by insufficient workplace safety measures and poor management," emphasizing the need for improving working conditions to prevent heatstroke during summer.
The second presenter, Yoo Kyung-hee, a labor officer at the Korea Labor Safety and Health Institute, stressed, "Systematic responses to heatwaves and cold spells are essential," and suggested "practical protective measures such as guaranteeing the right to stop work and extending rest periods."
In the subsequent discussion, Moon Gil-ju, director of the Jeonnam Labor Rights Center, and Lee Cheol-gap, a professor at Chosun University, participated and proposed legal and institutional improvements to protect workers' health rights.
Council member Choi stated, "In the worsening climate crisis, 52.9% (37 out of 70) of heat-related illness cases this summer were outdoor workers," and pledged, "We will continue active policy improvements and legislative activities to create an environment where workers can work healthily and safely."
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