"욕먹는 게 일" 어르신이 왜?..나라가 만든 '자존감 바닥' 직장 / SBS / AFTER 8NEWS / 박하정 정책문화부 기자

00:00 Intro 00:33 "I always come after praying, asking for my self-esteem to be boosted" 02:10 Handing out pamphlets instead of training, saying, "Please read this at home" 03:40 Senior jobs reach all-time high of '1.15 million'... 'Warning' about contract renewal 04:40 "Experience preventing a gas leak accident... a great source of reward" At a subway station in Gyeonggi-do bustling with commuters, the sight of a woman standing on an escalator with a red bag caught my eye. This woman was standing on a 65-meter-long escalator located in the transfer passageway—a transfer point served by two subway lines—which is a necessary passage for transferring passengers. As she repeatedly went up and down the escalator on both the up and down lines, the message written on her bag read, "Do not walk or run." Why was this woman, standing on the "left" side of the escalator, repeating this behavior? Intro 00:33 "I always come after praying, asking for my self-esteem to be boosted" 02:10 Handling pamphlets instead of training, saying, "Please read this at home" 03:40 Senior Jobs '1.15 million', an all-time high... 04:40 "Experience preventing a gas leak accident... a great source of reward" At a subway station in Gyeonggi-do bustling with commuters, the sight of a woman standing on the "left" side of the escalator was striking a chord? 1. "I always come here praying to boost my self-esteem." For this woman in her 60s, standing on the escalator from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. every morning was her daily routine. She was working through a senior employment program provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. These senior jobs are designed to enable the elderly to lead active and productive lives in their later years through employment and social activities; the central and local governments share the budget, with over 1,000 implementing agencies nationwide designing and providing these jobs. On the morning I went out for field reporting, the subway station was crowded with commuters, and it was easy to spot people walking or running on the escalator to transfer as soon as they heard the train was arriving. [Please stand.] This woman, who occasionally shouted, "Please stand," was standing on the left side of the escalator to block people from walking or running past. In other words, "blocking the way" was her job. This job is classified under the "Senior Competency Utilization Project" category among the various types of senior employment. It is a program designed to contribute to the local community through the skilled techniques, expertise, and experience of seniors. I leave it to your judgment whether standing on an escalator and blocking the way constitutes utilizing a senior's expertise to contribute to society. When I asked if they faced any difficulties while working, a senior participating in this job immediately replied, "My self-esteem is dropping." [Senior Job Participant: My self-esteem is a bit low. I always come here praying to raise my self-esteem. I get cursed at a lot.] They explained that because they were blocking the way, they were subjected to excessive verbal abuse from citizens who were in a hurry on their way to work. 2. Handing out pamphlets instead of training and telling them to "read this at home" There is also a senior who injured their back after a citizen pushed them while they were doing the same work. They said that a man who had been cursing at them from behind pushed them as the escalator's downward section was nearing its end, causing the injury. They were diagnosed with a herniated disc at the hospital. Mr. A, who has found it difficult to stand for long periods, has filed for industrial accident compensation. He stated that, based on his personal experience, he felt that this senior employment program was particularly insensitive to safety issues. [Senior Job Participant: You miss this (transfer) by a margin of a few seconds. People kept cursing at me from behind. I felt it firsthand that the program is extremely insensitive to safety.] On the first day of work, he heard so much abuse and felt the danger that two participants tried to take one escalator each, but a station official told them to stand side-by-side on a single escalator. He also said that although an official from the Korea Elevator Safety Agency visited the site early in the shift, they did not provide detailed training on the job or emphasize safety; instead, they merely handed out a pamphlet containing a general manual on elevator boarding and told him to read it at home. [Senior Job Participant: They don't ask about work experience (during hiring).] Handing over a pamphlet, they said, "We are supposed to provide training on this, but we don't have the time, so just go home and read it." Mr. A stated that acquaintances participating in senior employment programs also frequently hear from job providers, "Absolutely do not get injured; getting injured is a headache," but added that they haven't heard much abou...