With the heat wave showing no signs of letting up, Ulsan city launched a campaign Monday morning at SK Ulsan CLX to promote workers' right to rest at industrial sites during extreme heat.
The campaign aimed to give workers exposed to the heat a chance to rest and recharge, while spreading the message across industry that adequate rest is fundamental to protecting health and preventing accidents.
The city deployed food trucks at 10 locations within the complex, providing 2,750 workers with hot dogs and fruit punch.
The event was part of the city's "Ulsan Petrochemical Industry Regional Co-prosperity Gap-Reduction Support Project," a program selected through a competitive grant from the Ministry of Employment and Labor. The city organized it in cooperation with SK Geocentric and its partner companies to address welfare and treatment disparities between prime contractors and subcontractors.
Alongside this, Ulsan city plans to run a range of support programs through December, drawing on a combined budget of 1.9 billion won ($986,000) — comprising 1.4 billion won in national funds and 500 million won in city funds.
The Ulsan-Yangsan Employers' Federation will carry out five sub-projects: a new-hire co-prosperity mutual aid fund, support for certifications to strengthen technical and safety expertise, a workplace safety capacity-building program, improvements to rest facilities for subcontractor workers, and a work-family welfare subsidy.
To prevent heat-related illness at industrial sites, the city also plans to invest 175 million won in installing rest facilities and portable restrooms at worksites, expanding protections for workers' right to rest.
Through this project, Ulsan city expects to narrow the gap between prime contractors and subcontractors by creating rest, safety and welfare conditions that workers can tangibly feel, contributing to greater employment stability and improved job quality in the region.
cityblue@heraldcorp.com
