[헤럴드경제=박종일 선임기자] Seoul's Seongdong-gu district is rolling out a cooling cost support program for building managers and janitors at residential complexes this summer, aiming to protect their health and ensure safe working conditions during the heat wave season.
Building managers and janitors are essential workers who keep residential communities safe and livable, but they are frequently exposed to high temperatures for extended periods during summer, raising their risk of heat-related illness.
In response, Seongdong-gu will subsidize electricity costs for air conditioners installed in building managers' work facilities and janitors' rest areas at residential complexes during the peak heat wave period.
The district has run the program every year since launching it in 2021. Last year, it provided 23.78 million won ($15,800) in cooling cost support to 133 residential complexes, helping workers stay comfortable on the job.
Eligible this year are residential complexes with 20 or more units in the district. Support covers air conditioners in building managers' work spaces and janitors' rest facilities from July through August, with a maximum subsidy of 20,000 won per unit per month. The district has set aside a total budget of 26 million won for the program this year.
Beyond cooling cost support, the district also funds the installation and improvement of rest facilities for building managers and janitors, and pays an essential-worker allowance during the Lunar New Year holiday. Seongdong-gu will continue pursuing a range of policies to improve working conditions and welfare for essential workers at residential complexes.
"Building managers and janitors are essential workers who quietly hold the line every day to keep residents' lives safe and comfortable," district mayor Yoo Bo-hwa said. "We will not only continue providing cooling cost support so they can work safely even in extreme heat, but will also consistently push forward with diverse policies to improve working conditions and protect the rights of residential complex workers."
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