Since 70 percent of workers answered they have experienced bullying such as “harassment” in the nursing community, violence of IT business owners, and abusive language used by family owners of large companies, workplace bullying has become a serious social issue that no longer should be overlooked, and therefore, the “Act on Prevention of Workplace Bullying” on July 16. 2019 (partial amendment to the Labor Standards Act) came into effect. 

While the government has set the eradication of workplace bullying as one of its major tasks and formulated measures jointly with relevant ministries, thereby continuing to exert efforts to make changes, it has been pointed out that its effectiveness remains limited since preventive education for workplace bullying and measures against its occurrence are required to be set out only under employment rules.

Therefore, it is necessary to encourage employers to enforce active preventive measures by prescribing the enforcement of preventive education under the statute, rather than leaving the proactive response to “workplace bullying” to the discretion of the employers (Article 13).

In addition, the Amendment aims to ensure that objective and fair preventive education is provided to eliminate “workplace bullying” through entrustment, as is the case with the existing preventive education on sexual harassment (Article 31-2).

Notes

This Amendment rests on the premise that the “Partial Amendment to the Labor Standards Act” (Bill no. 1849), represented and proposed by National Assembly member Kim Gyonghyeop, is passed. If the bill is not passed or is passed with modification, this Amendment must be adjusted accordingly.

Obligate employers to Provide Preventive Education on “Workplace Bullying” (Article 13-2)