InterviewNext president tasked with driving real change for migrant workers' rights

Shekh al Mamun, deputy head of the Migrants' Trade Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, participates in a Labor Day rally in central Seoul, Sunday, demanding better working conditions. Yonhap

Shekh al Mamun, a migrant rights activist, said Korea’s next president must move swiftly to strengthen protections for migrant workers that he believes were seriously eroded under former President Yoon Suk Yeol's administration.

Shekh, a naturalized Korean from Bangladesh, has served as the deputy chief of the Migrants' Trade Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the country’s largest umbrella labor group, since 2013.

"Things have only gotten worse under the Yoon government," Shekh said in an interview with The Korea Times to mark May 1 Labor Day. "Policies implemented in recent years haven’t been good for foreign workers nor for employers."

Shekh criticized the Yoon administration for "ruining" the Employment Permit System (EPS), a government-run program that allows foreign nationals from 16 countries to enter Korea for low-wage jobs, mainly in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors.

"They increased the quota to more than 160,000 workers a year without properly assessing how many jobs were actually available," he said. "With so many workers flowing in without a tailored plan, employers started picking and choosing workers like they were products. It also led to a surge in undocumented workers."

Shekh stressed that whoever wins the June 3 presidential election must introduce comprehensive measures to fix what he described as confusion and instability in the labor market.

"When a new administration takes office, it must move beyond showpiece policies and address real issues by analyzing the root causes," he said. "Bad systems create victims. Migrant workers end up facing racism and hatred due to misconceptions, while Korean employers are portrayed as abusers."

The activist pointed to strict workplace change rules as a major problem of the EPS. Currently, migrant workers are mostly barred from changing workplaces, with few exceptions in cases such as physical abuse or unpaid wages.

A migrant worker is seen in a greenhouse in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 17. Korea Times photo by Choi Joo-yeon

"If migrant workers were given more freedom to change workplaces — just like Korean workers can — a lot of problems associated with discrimination and mistreatment would be eased," he said.

Regarding the sharp rise in undocumented migrants in Korea, Shekh argued that systemic flaws are forcing many workers into illegal status. Under current regulations, EPS workers must find a new job within three months of leaving their previous employer. If they fail, their visas are revoked.

"In many cases, workers become undocumented because they can't find a new job after leaving abusive or exploitative employers," Shekh said. "More and more workers are struggling to find new jobs within three months because the economy is bad. These factors should be taken into account."

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Migrants' Trade Union — a milestone Shekh says reflects meaningful progress.

"Our greatest achievement is raising awareness that migrant workers are united in standing up for their rights. At first, hardly anyone knew about our union, but now government officials are aware of our activities," he said.

Still, there is a long road ahead.

The union currently has around 700 members, and the goal is to increase membership to 10,000 over the next decade, he said.

"Our priority is to protect the rights of all migrant workers and build a society where they can choose their own workplace and be treated as equal members of society," he said.