There are people who clean every corner of SSU. It is said that such school cleaners are protesting in front of Baird Hall every day. Let’s listen to their stories with ST. ........................................................... Ed
Heavy labor intensity and poor working conditions at a national university led to the death of a cleaning worker. Since January, cleaning workers at SSU have been holding protests. Why are they protesting? To hear their reasons under the hot sun, ST conducted an interview with Yoo Ha-jin, the branch president of the SSU Division of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and Hong Soon-hee, the group’s manager, on labor environment and demonstration.
Labor Environment
ST: Recently, there has been a controversy over an incident that has been traced to a labor environment problem. ST wonder how the cleaning workers at SSU are coping with it.
Hong: Men usually work outside, while women clean inside the premises of the building.
Yoo: I work five days a week, starting at 6 a.m. and finishing at 4 p.m. I take an hour and a half of each morning, and actually work for 8 hours. Recently, there were no students around due to COVID-19. However, cleaning can be a little uncomfortable when there are many students. Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable for students to start meeting each other again? So, I prepare for work from 5 a.m. before I go to work.
ST: Are there any dangerous situations in relation to labor safety?
Yoo: Men who work outside face seasonal factors, such as the current heat wave or cold weather. Women usually use plenty of chemicals. Many of them are harmful to the human body. The practice has improved significantly now. There is also a building without an elevator. In cleaning the Vision Hall, Community & Cultural Center, Education Building etc., the 1st and 2nd floors are fine. However, there are some difficulties in carrying the trash down directly from the 4th and 5th floors. Imagine an elderly cleaner carrying more trash than her own weight.
Demonstration
ST: ST thinks the elevator problem must be addressed. What is the purpose of the demonstration, or what is it that you want to achieve?
Yoo: SSU has been managing facilities for 24 years under a private contract with a company called Miwan Development. This is in violation of the private institution’s financial-accounting rules that require open bidding if the service cost exceeds 20 million won.
ST: SSU signed a private contract, and, so far, the workers are in the development process, right?
Yoo: Yes. For example, what would happen if there was one pie, and a worker took more? From an entrepreneur’s point of view, you’ll get less, right? So, we created an entrepreneur-friendly union to defend the workers’ claims. It is also called a corporate union. SSU has a large number of corporate unions and a small number of democratic unions. That’s why corporate unions have their own collective agreements (wage and collective agreements, annual unions and companies’ collective agreements, regulations, and enforcement as laws, so they have so much authority and influence). However, they suppress democratic unions.
Yoo: There is a job insecurity issue because we don’t know what will happen after August, when we can legally say that we don’t have time to prepare for bids because the school has extended contracts every month. Employees with undeclared development could be unemployed because of the lack of employment succession. The school doesn’t decide on the type of employment, but they extend the contract every month, so they’re rallying to decide on the employment method quickly.
ST: Accordingly, the reason for the protest is ultimately job security?
Hong: We want direct employment as the number one priority, and if it doesn’t work, we want an open bid on the condition of succession. That’s why they’ve been protesting since January 29.
ST: Finally, what do you want from faculty or students?
Yoo: It would also be good for school members if workers could find stable employment opportunities and work comfortably. I just want you to know that this is the reality. SSU is one of the cleanest universities. I hope the students know that the workers are doing their best.
In the interview, we could see the inconveniences suffered by cleaning workers and what they want from school officials and students alike. ST always thankful for their hard work, and we hope that students will pay them plenty of attention. Plus, on August 16, Soongdae-Sibo (SSU newspaper), said that the school and the Miwan Development decided not to extend the contract. The private contract for 24 years was over, but still no direct employment was accepted and no interaction between schools and workers took place. In an interview with our ST reporters, the workers complained about job insecurity and appealed for direct employment. However, their wishes didn’t come true this time and again.
Noh Yun-jung (ST Reporter)
jacki0618@soongsil.ac.kr
Park Hyun-tae (ST Cub-Reporter)
htpark@soongsil.ac.kr
