Nearly 80% of call centers workers suffer from verbal abuse, union survey reveals

Korean call center workers have called for proper government measures to address hostile customer complaints, citing a recent survey that showed a majority of workers "endure" unreasonable treatment.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday, revealing the results of a survey conducted among 790 call center workers from May 28 to June 3.

According to the survey, 77.9 percent of respondents said they experienced verbal abuse, 12.8 percent reported sexual harassment and 60.1 percent faced repeated complaints.

Regarding handling aggressive or unreasonable complaints, 91.2 percent of respondents (721 individuals) said they "endure it on their own." This was followed by consultations with colleagues (57.6 percent, 456 individuals) and seeking help from their boss (32.5 percent, 257 individuals). Very few workers actively responded to the complainants: only 31 individuals confronted the complainants and 16 took measures such as filing lawsuits.

The union stated, “The related law implemented in 2018 guaranteed temporary work suspension or shift, prolonging of break time, as well as treatment and consultation related to verbal abuses. However, the fact that more than 90 percent of workers said they ‘endure’ means that the law is not being applied.”

They called on the government to investigate whether the related laws are being enforced on-site and to devise the necessary measures.