One of the most delightful pieces of news for the New Year came from the National Assembly this week. The Assembly’s former contract sanitation workers, who were from an outsourcing company, gained official status as employees of the Assembly secretariat Monday.
It was heartwarming to see photos of the sanitation workers, many of whom are older women, shedding tears as they held their new ID cards as Assembly workers. It was equally touching to see National Assembly Secretary General Woo Yoon-keun kneeling down and making a deep bow to the workers, saying that it was late to have them join the secretariat and that the Assembly will take better care of them from now on.
As employees of the Assembly, these workers get not only a pay raise, but are also entitled to benefits for regular workers of the Assembly secretariat, such as free health checkups and holiday bonuses. They don’t have to worry about getting laid off after their contract is up. But above all, being a part of the Assembly makes them feel respected. This sense of respect and stability is what many irregular workers in Korea also wish for.
The change of status for Assembly’s sanitation workers was realized upon the initiative of Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun. Speaker Chung, who took office in June 2016, said that this was one of the most rewarding things he had done as Assembly leader. He should be lauded for achieving what past Assembly speakers tried but failed because of opposition from the government.
The Assembly’s effort to address the problems faced by irregular workers should expand to other sectors. In particular, the public sector should show an example in raising the quality of employment and establishing a win-win work environment for the company and the employees.
As shown by the steep unemployment rate, the lack of jobs is a huge problem in Korean society, but it is also problematic that many who do have jobs are irregular workers. A recent survey shows that the number of irregular workers is on the rise, with one out of five newly-hired people last year being irregular employees, who receive only about half of what regular workers make.
In the New Year, the Assembly and the government should make it a priority to find ways to help irregular workers by addressing the income disparity and giving them more job security.