Gwangju Branch of the Student Union: “Immediately pay compensation for food service workers suffering from lung cancer.”

(Jeonnam Gwangju = Yonhap News) Reporter Jang A-reum = On the 16th, the Gwangju branch of the National School Non-regular Workers' Union urged, "Each local government (Office of Education) should immediately pay damages to cafeteria workers who have lung cancer industrial accidents and implement improvements in the working environment in cafeterias."

The union held a press conference at the Gwangju Office of Jeollanam-do Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education building on this day and made this request, saying, "Nine meal service workers won a lawsuit against the state and local governments for damages. It is a ruling that holds public institutions responsible for failing to create a healthy working environment for workers."

The Seoul Central District Court recently ruled that the local government should pay 10 million won in compensation, saying that the local government was recognized as liable for damages due to violation of the duty to protect workers and the duty to consider safety in a lawsuit for damages filed by nine school lunch cooks who were admitted to have industrial lung cancer.

The compensation liability of Jeonnam Gwangju, Gyeongbuk, and Busan was acknowledged, but the claim against the state was dismissed.

Although the target of this lawsuit is a metropolitan local government, the lawsuit was carried out by the Office of Education, which is the executive body of education and academic affairs, and the Office of Education must also bear compensation responsibility.

The union emphasized, "Each office of education has not properly managed the ventilation facilities in school cafeterias, assigned an excessive number of people per person to drink water, and used cooking methods that generate a lot of high-concentration fine dust (cooking fumes)," and added, "We must immediately improve the poor working environment to prevent industrial accidents."

He also added that measures should be taken to ensure that people with lung cancer can return to work after receiving sufficient medical care.

In response to this, an official from the Unified City Office of Education said, "We will review whether to appeal by combining the opinions of relevant departments and other provincial offices of education, and strive to implement the court ruling as soon as possible."