1 in 4 migrant workers in Gwangju struggling with unpaid wages

Nearly 25 percent of 369 migrant workers from 12 countries said they are struggling to get unpaid wages. Korea Times file

By Jung Min-ho

One out of four migrant workers in Gwangju say they are struggling to get unpaid wages, a survey showed Monday.

According to a survey conducted by the city government between March and October, 24.7 percent of 369 workers from 12 countries said they are struggling to get unpaid wages from current or former employers.

The rate is higher among illegal aliens (33.3 percent) than those with visas (23.8 percent).

Asked how they responded to the problem, 68.2 percent said they changed jobs, while 31.8 percent said they did nothing.

A total of 54.5 percent said they have experienced some form of mental or physical abuse, mostly from their employers or Korean colleagues. Male workers (56.8 percent) are more likely to experience abuse than females (48 percent).

According to the Korea Employment Information Service, the number of migrant workers in South Jeolla Province, including the city, is about 14,000.

Factory owners are their biggest employers, with 8,400 people working in the manufacturing sector, followed by agriculture and livestock (2,290), fishing (2,986), construction (693) and service (104) industries.