Anti-Park badge of E-mart worker causes controversy

By Park Jae-hyuk

Discount chain employees wearing a badge calling for President Park Geun-hye’s resignation has stirred controversy among customers.

An E-mart labor union said Friday that a cashier working at the Pohang Idong branch in North Gyeongsang Province received a disciplinary warning from a branch manager for wearing the badge on her uniform.

According to the union of Korea’s largest supermarket chain, the manager allegedly told the cashier: “I will report your behavior to the company with due legal process. You will have to take any responsibility and possible consequences.”

The union requested customers call E-mart to complain, posting the branch’s telephone numbers on its Facebook. Some have criticized the Shinsegae Group subsidiary and boycotted the company, claiming the worker was oppressed for political reasons.

Amid a heated controversy, E-mart answered the union on Monday that no form of discipline will be taken. The union said it welcomes the company’s decision.

An E-mart official said the manager never mentioned disciplinary measures.

“The manager just asked the cashier not to wear the badge, as it may come across as our company’s common political opinion,” the official said. “Because the worker wore the badge personally and the union never asked the company, we will continue to request our workers not wear the badge.”

Although some customers criticized E-mart, a majority of customers felt a work uniform is inappropriate for political expression.

“Service workers should draw a distinct line between public and private matters, because the actions of one worker can create a certain image for the company,” a college student surnamed Park said.

An office worker surnamed Kim said, “A company can face difficulty for one worker’s actions.”

When the union workers of Home plus began to wear the same badge last month, a similar dispute was aroused among consumers.

The workers of the second-largest discount chain did not face any disciplinary measures and photos showing the workers wearing the badges have gone viral online.

Some customers supported the workers, likening their actions to the Korean movie “Cart” which cinematized a discount chain workers’ strike that took place in 2007.

The labor union, however, claimed malicious comments have been posted since last Friday on the company’s website and several extreme-right websites, such as Ilbe.

“A customer with a full cart refused to pay at the counter, noticing a cashier wearing the badge,” an official of the Home plus labor union said. “Another customer took pictures of workers wearing the badges and threatened to report it to the police.”

According to the labor union, workers at about 50 branches nationwide are wearing the badges.

A Home plus official said the company has never set up any guidelines on the badge, so the wearing of it is up to each branch.

“We anticipate the protest will end soon, and still not many workers are wearing the badges,” the official said. “Thus, our company is not considering taking any measures over the badges.”