Regarding SPC Group's decision to abolish overtime work exceeding eight hours, the Presidential Office stated on the 27th, "Just two days after President Lee emphasized the importance of valuing life and bearing sufficient costs for safety, SPC has responded with change."
Kang Yoo-jung, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, said during a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office on this day, "During the meeting, President Lee focused on the possibility that long working hours during late-night shifts may have been the cause of a series of fatal accidents among SPC workers," and added, "He repeatedly questioned whether it was reasonable for employees to work four days a week, 12 hours each day, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m."
Kang Yujeong, spokesperson for the Presidential Office, is answering reporters' questions after finishing a briefing on current issues at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul on the 27th. Photo by Yonhap News
On July 25, President Lee visited the SPC Samlip bakery plant in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, where fatal industrial accidents had frequently occurred, and held a meeting with company executives, including Chairman Hur Young-in. During the meeting, President Lee raised numerous questions about on-site safety issues and long working hours during late-night shifts. In response, SPC implemented a measure to reduce night shifts for production workers to eight hours.
Spokesperson Kang stated, "No justification can be made for a company pursuing profit at the expense of workers' lives and safety," and added, "Backward accidents in which our citizens are injured or lose their lives at workplaces they go to for their livelihood must now be eradicated." She continued, "The Lee Jaemyung administration will make every effort to shed the disgrace of having the highest occupational accident fatality rate among OECD countries and to create happy and safe workplaces."
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