By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Seoul city government plans to cut the number of its low-level employees. The plan is drawing backlash from the workers' union.
City officials said Monday that the metropolitan government will reduce the number of workers by 1,300, about 12 percent of the current total, by 2010. The cuts will affect mainly low-level workers, while the number of positions for mid-level officials will increase, according to the city.
The downsizing has become possible following the adoption of a system that grants government agencies autonomy in rearranging positions, distributing labor costs and setting up departments within each agency's budgets.
``It is a intended to make the city government an organization that is small but has strong executive power,'' a city spokesman said.
The city will announce an ordinance late this month at the Seoul Metropolitan Council.
According to the rule, the city will increase the number of mid-level officials by 65 and target cuts to 120 this year.
The ratio of the city's mid- and high-level officials among total workers is some 10 percent, far lower than that of the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs standing at 46 percent.
``Although we'll cut the low-level positions, there will not be mass dismissals because we'll do so by not filling vacancies in unnecessary positions,'' the spokesman said.
But the union is protesting the action, claiming the measure aims to ``kill low-level workers'' along with the system through which the city sacked 3 percent of its incompetent workers earlier this year.
``Unlike central government, Seoul city workers, especially those in lower levels, perform many duties for the public. It is a restructuring without alternative measures,'' a union member said.
He said the cut in the number of workers would result in employment of non-regular workers and harder conditions for remaining employees.