A recent survey has revealed that 60% of apartment complexes in Gyeonggi-do province have rest facilities for cleaning workers located in basements, raising concerns about the workers' health and safety.
The findings were presented at a policy forum on September 31st, organized by the Public Solidarity Fund and lawmakers Lee Yong-woo and Lee Ki-heon of the Democratic Party. The forum aimed to address the issue of inadequate rest facilities for cleaning workers in apartment complexes.
Son Yong-sun, the center director of Goyang Labor Rights Center, reported that based on a 2024 survey of security and cleaning workers in Gyeonggi-do apartment complexes, 60.3% of those with rest facilities for cleaning workers had them located in basements.
"When rest facilities are located in basements, they often have problems with mold, poor ventilation, and unpleasant odors," said Son. "Even when rest facilities are provided, the health of apartment complex workers can be compromised."
The issue of inadequate rest facilities for cleaning workers came to public attention in South Korea following the death of a 67-year-old cleaning worker at Seoul National University in August 2019. The worker was found dead in a rest facility without an air conditioner on a day when the temperature reached 34.6 degrees Celsius. Following this incident, the Industrial Safety and Health Act was amended to mandate the provision of adequate rest facilities for workers.
However, despite the legal changes, many cleaning workers still do not have access to proper rest facilities. Choi Jin-hyeok, a deputy representative of Haedam Law Firm, pointed out that the fact that many rest facilities are located in basements indicates that they may not meet the standards for lighting, temperature, humidity, and ventilation as required by the regulations.
Testimonies from cleaning workers who participated in a support program funded by the Public Solidarity Fund further highlighted the poor conditions of their rest facilities. One worker described the basement rest facility as "dark, narrow, and filled with bugs, like a scene from a horror movie." Another worker mentioned the damp and moldy conditions of the basement rest facility in an older apartment complex.
Oh Gun-ho, a policy committee member of the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, emphasized the need to relocate rest facilities to above-ground areas to ensure adequate rest for cleaning workers. He suggested several options, including sharing meeting rooms with the residents' association, using community centers, or setting up temporary facilities in convenient locations within the complex.
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