"Industrial Safety Should Be a Priority" Government Urges Small and Medium Enterprises

[Financial News] Noh Yong-seok, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated on the 12th, "The field of industrial safety is directly related to life, so it is a task that both the government and companies must prioritize, and it is a core value for sustainable management of companies."
Deputy Minister Noh said this at the 'SME Meeting for Collecting Opinions on Labor Issues and Preventing Industrial Accidents' held at the Korea Federation of SMEs in Yeouido, Seoul, saying, "Regarding the recent labor issues, we will closely cooperate with related ministries so that the voices of the SME community are not neglected."
This meeting was prepared to listen to the opinions of the SME community on recently discussed labor issues and to request active participation and cooperation from the SME community for the prevention of industrial accidents and improvement of working conditions for foreign workers.
Deputy Minister Noh said, "Recent emphasis on industrial safety, working conditions for foreign workers, amendments to the Trade Union Act, extension of retirement age, and other major labor issues will have a greater impact on SMEs with limited manpower and resources," and "Although many SMEs may face difficulties in preventing industrial accidents due to a lack of professional manpower, investment burden in safety equipment, and difficulty in accessing information, I urge business owners to actively cooperate so that SMEs can become safe workplaces for both domestic and foreign workers."
In response, Oh Gi-woong, Standing Vice Chairman of the Korea Federation of SMEs, replied, "The SME community will also actively cooperate to create a safe workplace."
SMEs attending the meeting suggested △concerns about the expansion of the scope of users under the Yellow Envelope Act, improvement of punishment levels under the Serious Accident Punishment Act, and expansion of government support for preventing industrial accidents △flexibility of the 52-hour workweek △cautious introduction of the 4.5-day workweek △review of employment policies focused on re-employment rather than uniform extension of retirement age.

stand@fnnews.com Seo Ji-yoon Reporter