In August 2019,“Channel PNU”covered the working environment of Pusan National University (PNU) laborers. It was an article after an accident when a cleaning worker at Seoul National University died in a tiny break room without air conditioners or windows. In the case of PNU, there was no ventilation fan in SaeByeokBeol Library and Central Library janitors’break rooms. One of the SaeByeokBeol Library breakrooms is under the stairs, and therefore janitors were suffering from the noise. The breakroom for Geumjeong Hall's cooks is a temporary space. Not only did it not measure 6m2, the minimum area per person proposed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, but it also did not have a shower room even though it was a sweaty job. Two years and seven months later, how much has the working environment of PNU changed?

We first visited the SaeByeokBeol Library and the Central Library. SeaByeokBeol Library is currently under construction for first-floor remodeling and building for relocating the breakroom, which was originally located under the stairs, to another place. The officials of SaeByeokBeol Library said that they will install an air cleaner after the remodeling. 

The janitors’breakroom in the Central Library was still under the stairs. A few improvements were made, such as installing an air conditioner or linoleum, but the noise problem was not solved yet. The library officials said,“Even though we are trying to help for the janitors' convenience, it is hard to move the breakroom to somewhere else now.”

Janitors working in PNU underground parking lot are still suffering from noise because the breakroom is also in the underground parking lot. Moreover, absorbing hazards such as exhaust through respiratory organs is detrimental to health. Kim, a janitor of the PNU underground parking lot, said, "I cannot take a relaxed rest because of the loud noises that cars make.”However, the school said that it takes many difficulties to transfer the breakroom. 

The Geumjeong Hall's cooks, who did not have a breakroom before, are currently resting in a container box. Even though it was a temporary space, the cooks said their break times were guaranteed thanks to the container box. 

Nevertheless, a poor environment, such as no shower room, is continuing. The officials of Geumjeong Hall said,“Due to COVID-19, our financial status has not been good for several years. It is hard to meet all requirements because the school has been going into the red every year since 2019." The collapsed ceiling in the first-floor restroom was closed without any repairs or actions. The cooks in Geumjeong Hall expressed their inconvenience by saying,“We have to go to the restroom on the second floor whenever we want to go."

Experts emphasize that the resting facility standard from the Ministry of Employment and Labor is directly linked to workers’health. The standard is the minimum condition that protects the workers’rights. Kim Jeon-Ki, the leader of the PNU brand office from the Nationwide University Labor Union, said,“We must improve the treatment of workers as soon as possible and eliminate their inconveniences to create a working environment in which they can work as a human. We will do our best to improve janitors' welfare by reflecting the received complaints."

Reporter Hong Yun-Wu

Translated by Lee Su-Hyun