November marks 10th Employment Discrimination Prevention Awareness Month; six regional centers and partner agencies take part

Ten outstanding workplaces to be recognized at Dec. 1 ceremony

Korea Labor Foundation [Herald Business DB]
Korea Labor Foundation [Herald Business DB]

The Korea Labor Foundation will hold joint campaigns at 12 locations across the country this month to promote a workplace culture free of employment discrimination, marking November as Employment Discrimination Prevention Awareness Month.

The foundation announced Tuesday that its six regional discrimination improvement centers will partner with local organizations throughout the month for the 10th annual Employment Discrimination Prevention Awareness Month campaign.

Participants include regional labor-management-civil-government councils, labor rights centers, regional chapters of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and local governments. The campaign aims to raise community awareness of employment discrimination prevention and foster workplaces where all workers are treated with equal respect.

The campaign kicks off Tuesday at Gongju National University's culture and sports center and at the North Gyeongsang Province Eastern Employers' Association. On Wednesday, four sites will hold events simultaneously: the Gasan Digital Complex in Seoul, the SK hynix construction site in Yongin, Dangjin General Gymnasium and the Huvis sports field.

The campaign continues Thursday at Daejeon Pentaplex and around the Homeplus intersection in Gumi, then moves to the area around Daejeon City Post Office on Monday and around Yongin City Hall Station on Nov. 10. Two more stops follow — at Masan Free Trade Zone on Nov. 18 and at a branch of Pyeonggeo General Social Welfare Center in Jinju on Nov. 20 — bringing the total to 12 venues.

The foundation will also recognize workplaces that have excelled in reducing discrimination. It will select 10 outstanding workplaces from among those that underwent an employment discrimination assessment through a regional center over the past two years. At a Dec. 1 awards ceremony, the foundation plans to present citations from the Minister of Employment and Labor and from the foundation's secretary-general, and to share best practices.

Since 2010, the foundation has operated six regional discrimination improvement centers — in Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, South Gyeongsang Province and North Jeolla Province — providing assessments, counseling and education on employment discrimination prevention and improvement for workplaces with non-regular workers and for workers themselves. Inquiries, as well as education and counseling requests, can be directed to the foundation's main line at 1588-2089.

"Creating discrimination-free workplaces requires not only the active commitment of employers but also the genuine interest of community members," foundation Secretary-General Park Jong-pil said. "We will do our utmost to ensure that awareness of employment discrimination prevention spreads to every corner of the country through this 10th Employment Discrimination Prevention Awareness Month."


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