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| A group of activists protest inside a McDonald's outlet in Sinchon, Seoul, Saturday, against what they claim is the firm's exploitation of part-time workers. / Yonhap |
By Jung Min-hoThe leader of protests against McDonald's "culture of exploitation" of young part-time workers vowed Monday to continue fighting until the firm corrects its practices. "If the company doesn't respond to our demands, we will continue to raise our voice on the streets," Lee Hae-jung, secretary general of the Arbeit Workers Union (AWU), told The Korea Times. "After our protest on Friday, we are waiting for a response from McDonald's. Another protest will be held."A group of part-time workers occupied a McDonald's outlet in Shinchon, near Yonsei University, Saturday, to demand "higher wages, fair working conditions and union activities within the company.""We have received many favorable reactions since then, especially from those who work at other fast-food restaurants," Lee said. "Many showed empathy when we said it is unfair that most of employees at one of the world's biggest companies eke out a living on minimum wage."In response, McDonald's said it did not break any laws in hiring and managing its employees."What the union is saying is a complete distortion. McDonald's clearly abides by the Labor Law," the company said.In December, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board's Office of the General Counsel also filed complaints against McDonald's, accusing it of labor violations.Complaints were filed in 78 cases, claiming that McDonald's workers in the U.S. were fired or intimidated for participating in union organizing and in a national protest movement calling for higher wages.Most McDonald's workers in Korea earn a minimum hourly wage of 5,580 won ($5.10). Meanwhile, the company had a profit of $5.5 billion on sales of $27.5 billion in 2012.The AWU wants a wage increase to 10,000 won an hour.The organization believes that in countries where big companies such as McDonald's only offer the minimum wage, smaller firms are unlikely raise wages for workers."The company claims that it considers its employees its biggest assets. But it actually doesn't," the AWU said. "The CEO of the global company makes enormous amounts of money, but he seems to care little about the people who work for him."The company also arbitrarily adjusted rosters to save money and often failed to deliver paychecks on time, the AWU said.According to a survey in December, 64 percent of McDonald's workers experienced arbitrary roster adjustments and 22 percent had paycheck delays.The AWU said many workers were often asked to leave work before closing if there were few things to do.It said the protest was initiated when McDonald's fired Lee Ga-hyun, 21, a casual worker, for reporting arbitrary adjustments to her work schedule to the AWU.But the National Labor Relation Commission ruled early this month that the dismissal was lawful as Lee failed to provide the level of labor that she was contracted to.The AWU insisted that the ruling was made based on false claims by McDonald's.
아르바이트 노동조합(이하 '알바노조')은 7일 오후 서울 마포구 서강대 정문 앞에서 '맥도날드 규탄대회'를 열어 맥도날드가 아르바이트생만 고용해 최저임금을 준다며 비판했다.
알바노조는 이날 서강대 정문부터 맥도날드 신촌점, 맥도날드 연세대점, 유플렉스 등을 거쳐 행진하며 '아르바이트생의 시급을 인상하라' 등 구호를 외쳤다.
이들은 맥도날드 신촌점 안으로 들어가 '갑질을 멈춰라', '알바도 사람이다', '알바노동 착취하기 좋은 기업 맥도날드' 등 메시지를 담은 스티커를 매장 유리벽에 붙이기도 했다.
알바노조는 이날 성명을 내고 '맥도날드는 관리직을 제외한 모든 직원이 비정규직 아르바이트생으로 채용된다'며 '장기간 안정적으로 일하고 싶어도 계약기간이 최대 1년으로 정해져 있어 관리자들의 눈칫밥을 먹으면서 일한다'고 주장했다.
이들은 또 '맥도날드 같은 대기업이 아르바이트생에게 5천580원인 최저임금만 주고 있다'며 '최저임금만으로는 생활이 불가능하다'고 말했다.
맥도날드 현직 아르바이트생 A씨는 '아르바이트생의 일은 시급 1만원 이상의 가치를 갖는다'며 '기계적인 업무 방식과 최저임금밖에 못 받는 현실을 바꿔야 한다'고 말했다. (연합뉴스)
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