Apartment complex layoffs raise ire

An apartment complex in Gangnam district, southern Seoul, is moving to dismiss all of its security guards and contract cleaners.

Dubbed New Hyundai Apartment, the wealthy Apgujeong-dong residential complex attracted public scrutiny after a security guard in his 50s attempted to burn himself to death in October, having suffered repeated insults from residents.

According to a group of Seoul labor advocates, the complex has informed 106 workers, including 78 security guards and some female cleaners, of its plan not to renew its contracts with them, all of which expire on Dec. 31.

The move was reportedly initiated by a group of residents’ representatives and a facilities management company brought in by a construction industry association.

The group recently put up a notice that it would select a new outsourcing firm to supply security guards and cleaners through a bidding process. A growing number of netizens are denouncing the residents, who have already come under fire for mistreating temporary workers at the complex.

The move came only a day after Labor Minister Lee Ki-kweon asked the apartment complex to improve job security and working conditions of security guards and other employees.

The minister on Tuesday sent a letter to the complex, calling on the facilities management company and residents to cancel the layoff plan.

The Labor Ministry also unveiled its plan to improve working conditions of the apartment contract workers. It will allocate state funds worth 720,000 won per apartment security guard aged older than 60 years over the next three years.

As the minimum wage for the guards will likely be hiked by 19 percent, the ministry also secured the budget totaling 2.3 billion won for 3,200 individuals older than 60.

Labor advocates, however, say that the government policy falls short of a fundamental solution. They stress the attempted suicide in October reflects the poor working conditions of guards at apartment complexes nationwide.

Monthly wages for a guard average less than 2 million won and many suffer abuse by residents.

According to a survey of 152 guards conducted by research firm For Occupational & Environmental Health, around 40 percent of the respondents said they had experienced verbal abuse at least once over the past year.

More than 35 percent of the respondents experienced verbal abuse two to three times a month, while 6 percent said they got it almost every day. Another 46 percent said they suffered from it once a month or less.

Over the past year, 8.9 percent of them were physically assaulted by residents, the poll showed.

By Kim Yon-se (kys@heraldcorp.com)