30,000 irregular school workers go on strike
“I want to work safely and healthily”
On the afternoon of the 31st, union members belonging to the School Temporary Workers Union, the Public Transportation Workers Union, and the National Women’s Union held a hand sign near the Seoul Subway City Hall Station to resolve wage discrimination against workers regular and lung cancer in the lunchroom Comprehensive measures are needed. Reporter Shin So-young viator@hani.co.kr
“I have been working in the cafeteria for 13 years and was diagnosed with lung cancer on August 8, 2022 and am recovering. Even now (in the dining room) two or three people need to cook 1200 portions in two hours. Even if new recruits are hired, more than half of them run away, saying that they did not know it would be this difficult, and the rest of the workers work without rest. Make it a safe, pleasant place to work. Are we making unreasonable demands?” The 13-year-old catering worker, who took to the stage wearing a catering chef’s hat, continued to speak in a quiet voice. On the 31st, the workers who took part in the ‘New National School Temporary Workers General Strike’ (general strike) held by the school’s non-regular workers union (tutoring union) wore pink vests, which became a symbol of the school expenses union. , and listen to their colleagues. On that day, around 30,000 non-regular (public service) workers belonging to the National Association of Non-Regular Workers in Schools (School Fees Coalition), responsible for meals, childcare and after-school learning, went on strike and holding rallies across the country. . Joint salary negotiations were held with the employers, the Ministry of Education and the superintendent of education in cities and states, from September last year, but no agreement was reached until March of the new semester. Since 2017, irregular school workers have held collective bargaining at the national level, which is rare in Korea, to determine equal wages and working conditions for all job categories. The Ministry of Education announced on the same day that lunchrooms in 3,293 schools (25.9% of schools subject to school lunches) were not operating due to a general strike by irregular workers in schools, so meals were replaced with bread, milk or lunch . boxes. There are 150 schools (2.5% of schools that operate childcare classes) that do not operate elementary school childcare classes. At the general strike meeting, Park Mi-hyang, head of the Tuition Fees Union, said, “You may have many concerns and worries, but we will do a fair general strike and go back to school.” Irregular school workers who went on a general strike demanded △a basic salary increase △reform the salary system △specific measures for the lung cancer problem in cafeterias △discrimination against public officials and welfare benefits △recruitment of the workforce. Kang Kyu-hyeok, chairman of the KCTU Service Federation, said, “We recognize differences, but what we are asking is that there should be no discrimination.” “We are not asking for 50 million won or 100 million won. request for even 80%,” he shouted. The base salary for food service cooks is 1,868,000 won, and the base salary increase rate for public officials in education offered by the government this year is about 2% depending on the type of job.
Students from a middle school in Gyeonggi-do wrote and posted messages in support of the general strike of part-time workers (public offices) at the school. Provided by the National Education and Public Services Headquarters of the Public Transport Workers Union.
Going beyond the basic pay rise, the Teaching Union protested that the basic pay and longevity allowance for each job category were arranged in a “fist-and-mouth style,” and demanded the establishment of a management advisory body labor to reorganize the wage. system to realize the principle of “equal pay for work of equal value.” Lee Su-hyeon, head of the Incheon branch of the Tuition Fees Union, said, “In order to break down the bad discrimination on low wages, we have united as a trade union and stopped the school site.” In particular, the participants in the rally were angry about the reality that the authorities involved in lung cancer with regard to catering workers are neglecting. Political Mothers co-representative Park Min-ah, who made a statement of solidarity, said, “I’m ashamed that I didn’t know that the crispy fried rice and the fried rice that children liked in exchange for health food service workers. . I didn’t know if it was a meal that destroyed someone’s lungs.” According to government research and expert analysis, the incidence of lung cancer among catering workers is 4.9 to 16.4 times higher than those in their late 50s. . Regarding the general strike of irregular school workers, the government said, “The Ministry of Education and 17 provincial and provincial education offices will continue to do their best to reach a collective wage bargaining agreement in 2022, and we will also work” n active. to protect the health of food service workers, such as improving the cooking environment in school cafeterias.”
Correspondent Bang Jun-ho and Lee Yu-jin whorun@hani.co.kr
