We Need to Stop Outsourcing of Dangerous Jobs and Create a Safe Working Environment to Protect the Lives of All Workers
-NHRCK Chairperson’s Statement on Recent Battery Plant Fire-
The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) extends our deepest condolences to the victims and families of the recent tragic fire that occurred at a battery manufacturing plant and releases this statement calling for a thorough investigation into the accident and effective measures to prevent recurrence of similar accidents.
A total of 23 people died and 8 others were injured in a fire that broke out at a primary battery manufacturing plant on June 24. Although the exact cause and the factors that contributed to the massive losses have yet to be determined, this is a tragic disaster that could have been prevented if efforts had been made to address previously identified problems in the industrial structure and safety management in a timely manner.
Since the Asian financial crisis, domestic companies are increasingly outsourcing dangerous and hazardous jobs to subcontractors at lower costs. This undermines safety management practices and results in the death or injury of subcontractor workers.
The outsourcing of dangerous jobs is becoming more common with migrant workers filling low-paying, high-risk and difficult jobs that are generally shunned by the local workforce. As a result, foreign nationals account for an bigger share of industrial accident victims from 7%(78 people) in 2010 to 9.2%(85 people) in 2022 to 10.4%(85 people) in 2023. Most of the victims in the recent plant fire have been confirmed to be migrant workers.
The government moved to increase the employment of foreign workers in the shipbuilding sector and expanded the scope of industries and number of workers in the employment permit system last year. With the release of the final fourth master plan for policies for foreign workers(2023-2027) in December 2023, the government has made clear its intention and implemented plans to encourage the employment of foreign workers by local employers. Yet these plans lack concrete measures to provide safety training for workers from different languages and backgrounds and establish a safer working environment.
In the years since its establishment, the NHRCK has continued to present opinions to the government to ensure safe working conditions that protect the health and lives of workers. For example, back in 2018, it carried out an investigation into the rights of indirectly employed workers. Based on the outcome of the investigation, we made recommendations on August 30 2019 to expand the scope of work that cannot be outsourced to third parties under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and impose tougher penalties on those responsible for accidents at work.
The NHRCK has undertaken a research project this year to identify the cause of death of migrant workers and establish a support system given a steady increase in the number and share of migrant workers who died in a workplace accident and several factors that place them at risk of physical or mental harm or even suicide, such as long hours of labor in an isolated environment, low wages or delayed wage payment, heavy workload and stress.
The NHRCK urges the government and related agencies to thoroughly investigate the cause of the factory fire and develop fundamental solutions to prevent such accidents from occurring again. We reiterate our commitment to ensure safe and healthy working conditions for all workers.
