This image shows the platform at the Gwanghwamun subway station on Nov. 29, 2022. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 29 (Korea Bizwire) — Marketing campaigns and administrative service initiatives targeting office workers during rush hour are becoming increasingly popular.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it would be offering free labor counseling services at 22 major subway stations during workers’ evening commute.
The program will provide certified labor lawyers who offer one-on-one consultations to working citizens at subway stations. The consultations are free of charge.
The service will be offered on the last Wednesday of every month. The counseling sessions are aimed at helping office workers with labor-related issues and will begin on Wednesday and continue until the end of November.
The move comes as a growing number of citizens have expressed interest in protecting workers’ rights and interests such as workplace harassment, industrial safety, and platform labor.
Last year, a total of 26,673 labor consultations were conducted at the Seoul Labor Rights Center and the Workers’ Support Center, marking a 19.2 percxent increase from 2021.
Authorized labor workers from 22 organizations, including the Seoul Labor Rights Center and the municipal and municipal worker support centers, will provide one-on-one consultations free of charge for Seoul citizens in subway stations.
The consultations will cover a range of topics, from labor law rights such as vacation and contract writing to infringement of labor rights such as overdue wages, unfair dismissal, and workplace harassment.
Retailers are also targeting office workers with marketing campaigns that encourage them to shop during their evening commute, with the promise of saving more money.
Discount chain operator E-Mart Inc. is scheduled to be move up its closing time from 11 p.m. to 10 p.m., and adjusted its “dinner discount” time to 7 p.m. to sell major foods cheaply.
The company plans to strengthen support for “cheap shopping” so that customers can feel more benefits in the era of high prices.
E-Mart said that the 52-hour workweek has created a social atmosphere that values work-life balance, leading to an acceleration of the time when customers visit large discount stores.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
