hankyoreh

a watchdog group hold the profiles of 19 semiconductor workers who contracted serious illnesses

On Oct. 28, 19 workers who contracted leukemia and other rare diseases while working at the factories of semiconductor producers including Samsung Electronics and the relatives of workers who have died of these diseases filed a claim for those diseases to be recognized as industrial accidents.

Banollim, a watchdog group that works for the health and human rights of workers in the semiconductor industry, submitted the industrial accident application on behalf of the 19 victims on Tuesday morning after holding a press conference in front of the office of the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo district.

Fifteen of the victims had worked for Samsung Electronics and other affiliates of the Samsung group, two for LG Display, and one each at Seoul Semiconductor and SK Hynix.

From June 2007 to now, Banollim has filed claims for industrial accidents a total of eight times on behalf of 62 individuals. This claim includes the largest number of people thus far. Having the illnesses recognized as industrial accidents is a key step toward having the companies take responsibility and provide compensation.

“Through this industrial accident claim, we hope to once again remind people of the fact that leukemia at Samsung semiconductor plants is not the only problem, but that the health and wellbeing of workers throughout the semiconductor and electronics industry face a serious threat,” the group said during the press conference.

The group called on the government to move more quickly to provide compensation to victims of industrial accidents in the electronics industry (including semiconductor, LCD, and PCB facilities), and to take thorough measures to protect other workers from contracting these diseases.

The victims and their families argue that the primary cause of these diseases is workers’ exposure to carcinogenic materials such as benzene, formaldehyde, epoxy, and radiation while on the semiconductor production line. The most common disease among the victims was cancer of the blood, including leukemia and lymphoma (eight). Others had brain tumors, breast cancer, and acute kidney failure.

During the press conference on Tuesday, a woman surnamed Kim, 29, who came down with chronic kidney disease while working at an LCD factory run by Samsung Electronics, read a letter she had written. “Please do not ignore these workers who have been robbed of their livelihood by an illness they contracted while working diligently for their employer. Please do not forget that we used to be healthy, ordinary people, just like you,” she said.

By Jeon Jong-hwi, staff reporter

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