ED Protect migrant workers

The recent fire at a lithium battery factory in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, which claimed the lives of 23 workers, highlights the urgent need to protect migrant workers in Korea. Tragically, 18 of the victims were foreign nationals, including 17 ethnic Chinese and a Laotian. These workers, hired through a subcontractor on a daily basis, were not provided with essential safety training despite working with highly hazardous materials.

Lithium is a spontaneously combustible material that can reach temperatures over 1,000 degrees Celsius when ignited, making it difficult to extinguish with water due to the risk of a secondary explosion. Appropriate safety measures are crucial in environments dealing with dangerous substances. Unfortunately, however, the migrant workers at the plant were not prepared for the accident, as evidenced by security camera footage showing them trying to use extinguishers and struggling to find exits due to obstructed pathways. This highlights a significant deficiency in safety education and preparedness.

Industrial sites employing large numbers of foreign laborers have often come under criticism for neglecting to offer proper safety education and training, citing language barriers as an excuse. Against this backdrop, migrant laborers are vulnerable to higher risks of death from industrial accidents compared to their local peers.

According to data from the Ministry of Employment and Labor, out of 812 industrial deaths last year, 85, ot 10.4 percent, involved foreign nationals, up from 9.7 percent in 2022. The trend is worsening with foreign workers accounting for 11.2 percent during the first three months of this year.

Korea’s dependency on foreign workers is growing because of its labor shortage, aggravated by a low birth rate paired with an aging population. The number of foreign workers active here stood at 920,000 last year, accounting for 3.2 percent of total employment. This represents an increase of 80,000 from the previous year. To address the shortage of workforce at the industrial sites, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration hiked the number of work permits for eligible migrants by 165,000. However, employers continue to suffer from a chronic labor shortage and call for more foreign workers.

Amid a steady increase in demand for foreign workers, however, Korea has largely failed to improve its working conditions. A large number of migrant workers, especially those on daily contracts, are usually sent to work sites without adequate safety training and education. Aricell, where the fire broke out, for instance, has more than 50 foreign workers, mostly on daily contracts, out of its total 100 or more employees. Such negligence is not acceptable given the critical roles the migrant workers play in keeping plants and other industrial sites operational.

The labor sector heaped criticism against the government. In a statement, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) criticized the government for having failed to take proper steps despite hundreds of foreign workers dying every year from industrial accidents. Despite the increasing influx of migrant workers, the government deserves criticism for abolishing an assistance center for foreign workers. “Employers are also accountable as they have been coercing the migrant workers without providing them due safety training,” the KCTU said.

Now is the time for the government and companies to collaborate closely in thoroughly reexamining the working conditions faced by foreign workers and developing comprehensive safety measures for them. This should include providing adequate safety education, guaranteeing concrete measures, and offering specific manuals to ensure that all foreign workers understand safety protocols.

The recent tragic incident serves as a stark reminder of how vulnerable foreign laborers in the nation are to workplace hazards. The government and the employers should recognize the contributions of the migrant workers to the Korean economy and focus on enhancing their safety at work. They should implement practical and proactive measures to protect them from future industrial accidents and prevent potential tragedies.