Last July, campus cleaning staff held a demonstration at Dankook University (DKU), calling for better treatment of their workforce. The employees have been staging protests since last year in an effort to improve working conditions, including staffing levels. Their efforts have drawn public attention after Yonsei University students sued their cleaners for obstruction claiming their on-going strike is impacting their ability to get classwork done. The conflict at Yonsei University has turned into a full-scale battle between the right to study and the right to work, and the impact is spreading. The Dankook Herald (DKH) has been conducting intensive coverage of the protests on campus and produced this report.

▲ A Photo of Cleaner Staff Lounge at Dankook University (Photo from Kyeong-in Ilbo)

   Cleaning staff at DKU are making several demands. First, they raised the problem of poor conditions within staff lounges. The rooms are not suitable for relaxing during break time because none have any proper ventilation. There are no windows or air purifiers resulting in damp and stuffy atmospheres. In addition, with no ventilation, it’s hard to get rid of the smell of food from staff lunches. The lack of windows not only leads to ventilation problems, but also creates a dark and grim ambiance. Although the lounges are located on the ground floor of most campus buildings, there is little difference between staff lounges and dark basement rooms. Unpainted walls and ceilings also contribute to the depressing atmosphere. Air conditioners were installed in 2021 but prior to that, staff had to try to enjoy a break being cooled with fans. The workers also claim that the staff lounge in the College of Engineering is so confined that it barely accommodates three or four people.

   Another problem that cleaners at DKU raised is a shortage of manpower. As employees retire, they are not being replaced, resulting in an increase in the workload per person. Building extensions are also contributing to the increased workload. Kwon Do-hoon, Deputy Director of the Dankook Branch of Seoul Labor Union, said that five out of eight retirees were replaced. He added that he will see whether the promise by DKU to recruit three more workers for the dormitory gets fulfilled.

   Another issue raised by cleaning staff is that they are not paid for overtime hours. Although their day is supposed to start at seven in the morning, some employees are having to wake up at four and start work at five or six because the workload is so excessive. Feelings of underappreciation by university administration have led the staff to demand overtime pay.

▲ Unpainted Walls and Ceilings of Cleaner Staff Lounge at Dankook University (Photo from Kyeong-in Ilbo)

   A representative from ‘Dawn’, the union of cleaners at DKU said the union formed out of a need to legally guarantee their labor rights. They are calling for an end to the use of both contract cleaning service firms and full time cleaners. He added that because of this structure, the university, is not taking an active part in resolving labor problems and instead are shifting the responsibility to service firms. The head of the cleaning workers union said, although the amount of work per person is allocated by each building, she said that there are cases where individuals are saddled with excessive amounts of work. She added that the intensity of her work is high because she has to clean both the bathrooms and the classrooms before classes start. She also predicts the workload per person will increase when the autumn semester starts. She admitted that the number of staff at the dormitory has returned to its original level, but the working conditions are still poor. Some of the air conditioners in the staff lounge are very old, while other break rooms are still waiting for their units to be installed. In addition, the staff lounge in the basement has no windows and has an old exhaust fan with a really bad musty smell. She is looking for a pay increase to combat inflation and a rise in stipend for food expenses. At the moment they earn 20,000 Korean won per month for food expenses which translates to less than 1,000 Korean won per day.

   The DKH conducted a week-long online survey targeting Dankookians (Students of DKU) about the demonstrations being held by campus cleaners. It revealed that 76.9% of Dankookians were aware of the on-going protests, while 23.1% said they were not. Surprisingly, most Dankookians, (92.3%) said they were unaware of the working conditions of staff and the majority of students (61.6%) said they had no idea what demands were being made by the labor union, while only 38.5% of Dankookians said there were aware of them. The survey also revealed both indifference and concern for the protesting workers. Some students said ‘It is okay if it does not bother my studies.’ Other more empathetic students said, ‘I hope they can work in a better environment’ and ‘I support and wish them good luck as this is for the improvement of their working environment.’

   As higher education institutions teach "truth" and "service", and assert themselves as the birthplace of our social knowledge, DKU needs to make progress in this matter and resolve the issue amicably. Furthermore, the DKH urges Dankookians to take a greater interest in this issue as an empathetic member of DKU and society.