'McDonald's stats misleading'

By Jung Min-ho

McDonald’s claims that most of its employees get paid more than Korea’s minimum wage are based on misleading statistics, a labor activist argued Sunday.

This follows a protest at three of its outlets in Seoul on Saturday by Arbeit Workers Union (AWU), a group of part-time workers, against the fast food chain’s “culture of exploitation.”

While McDonald’s said that 93 percent of its 18,000 employees here are paid an hourly wage of 7,000 won ($6) to 9,000 won, more than the nation’s minimum wage of 5,580 won, Lee Hae-jung, secretary general of the AWU, said that is not true.

"The statistics are misleading,” Kim said, adding the “wage” that McDonald’s said includes “paid holidays,” which are due payments under the nation’s labor laws.

“If you look at most part-time jobs at any store of the company here, part-time workers either get paid a minimum wage or an amount very close to it,” Lee told The Korea Times.

Under the Labor Law, those who work more than 15 hours a week should get at least one paid holiday of a week. “So McDonald’s just pays as much as it has to,” Kim said.

“Even considering that, it is hard to believe that 93 percent of its employees are paid more than 7,000 won. We want McDonald’s to reveal more detailed information about how its employees with different job status get paid.”

During its second round of protests near McDonald’s Sinchon, Jongno and Hongje outlets in Seoul, about 50 AWU members accused the company of using the system of flexible working hours as a means of controlling its employees rather than helping them.

One employee, who had worked at the Hongje branch for five years, claimed that she had to quit her job in December after the branch manager cut her working hours after she refused to work on Sundays.

Protesters demanded stable working conditions, which they said would prevent such problems. They also called for higher wages and union activists within the company.

Protesters near the Jongno branch clashed with police as they tried to occupy the outlet. During the tussle, a man in his 20s was taken to a hospital.

In response, Kim Ki-hwa, McDonald’s communications director in Korea, admitted the wages of 7,000 won to 9,000 won included paid holidays but maintained that there is nothing wrong with the company’s wage system.

“We even have part-time workers that make more than 30 million won annually,” she said. “I don’t understand why McDonald’s suddenly became labor activists’ target, even though it did not break any laws in hiring and managing its employees.

“Many allegations the protesters brought up are baseless.”

She said 50 percent of employees at its headquarters started as part-time workers. “That shows how McDonald’s treats its workers. We don’t mistreat them.”

She also noted that 90 percent of the company’s employees said they prefer its flexible working hours, according to its own survey.

McDonald’s, a once-great American symbol of ingenuity and ruthless efficiency, is facing similar protests in many other countries.

The company’s workers in 19 cities of the United States are asking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to inspect their workplaces, alleging they've been injured because of a lack of training and protective equipment.

The complaints are the latest in a number of legal actions taken against the company as labor groups are trying to force it to improve working conditions and raise wages.

A group of Brazilian unions are also suing McDonald’s Latin America franchisee, Arcos Dorados, alleging labor law violations that include paying less than the minimum wage and prohibiting employees from taking required breaks.