The NHRCK recommended that the discriminatory wage practices against irregular workers at schools be revamped and their job security be increased.
The recommendations came after the union of irregular workers’ national strike in November 2012 demanding job security, and better treatment and a series of complaints filed with the NHRCK.
Irregular workers at schools suffer from low wages. They earn slightly over 1 million KRW per month, well below the average monthly wage (2.27 million KRW) of those employed in companies with over five employees.
What’s worse, the salaries of non-regular workers at schools remain same no matter how long they have worked, which further widens the wage gap between regular and irregular workers who do similar work.
In this regards the NHRCK recommended that such discriminatory wage practices be improved via consultations with concerned parties including the union for irregular workers at schools.
According to the estimate by the Ministry of Education, a total of 6,476 irregular workers were dismissed in February 2013. Around 590 workers with permanent contract employment status were let go.
Such statistics suggest that the job security of irregular workers at schools who are currently hired by school principals rather than superintendents can be easily undermined by any changes taking place at schools. Another factor playing a part is that school principals do not have any actual power needed to improve working conditions for them.
In this context, the Commission recommended that school irregular workers hired by either Minister of Education or superintendents rather than by school principals. Such approach is desirable as it is not costly and also legally appropriate as seen in previous court ruling.
