Over 4 in 10 workers say they must show up on time even during natural disasters

More than 4 in 10 workers in South Korea are required to show up on time and work even during natural disasters such as heavy rain, according to a civic group survey released Sunday.

Workplace harassment advocacy group Jikjang Gapjil 119 commissioned polling firm Global Research to survey 1,000 workers aged 19 and older nationwide from June 1 to June 9, asking whether they were guaranteed the ability to adjust their commuting hours during natural disasters. Some 43.8 percent said they were not.

Among those who said they lacked such flexibility, non-regular workers accounted for a higher share — 49.8 percent — compared with 39.8 percent of regular workers.

"Looking more closely within the non-regular worker category, those in daily labor, in-house subcontracting and other forms of precarious employment, as well as those in low-wage or small workplaces, were far more likely to be excluded from work adjustments during disasters," the group said.

In addition, 38.4 percent of respondents said they had gone to work as usual under company orders even when the government had recommended remote work or adjusted commuting hours due to natural disasters such as typhoons, heavy rain, heavy snow or earthquakes.

About one in seven respondents said they had personally faced disadvantages — or witnessed a colleague face them — for being late due to a natural disaster.

Some 65.4 percent of respondents said workers should be able to choose their own work arrangements or refuse to work during natural disasters.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor currently recommends remote work or staggered commuting hours when heat wave or heavy rain advisories are in effect, but the recommendations carry no enforcement power, the group said. "There is no legal basis to sanction employers who do not comply," it said. "Guaranteeing workers the right to stop when they sense danger during a commute or on the job is the only way to prevent deaths at work."