Court dismisses Seoul Metro unfair hiring suit

By Lee Suh-yoon

The Seoul Administrative Court has dismissed a request by Seoul Metro employees and job applicants to cancel the contracts of 1,285 irregular employees converted to permanent payroll in March.

“The switch to hiring temporary workers on permanent contracts occurred through an agreement between the union and management,“ presiding judge Yoon Kyung-ah said, Thursday. “Even if some job applicants' interests were harmed, the cause is too indirect to recognize.”

Earlier this year, some 400 employees and 514 unsuccessful job applicants of Seoul Metro filed an administrative litigation against the city-owned subway operator for “violating their basic rights through unfair hiring.”

The job status change was spurred by the death of a 19-year-old subcontracted mechanic at Guui Station in 2016. The accident, which drew public outrage, prompted city authorities to directly hire employees in safety-related fields.

The same plaintiffs have also filed a petition with the Constitutional Court, calling Seoul Metro's decision to upgrade temporary workers to permanent positions unconstitutional. The Constitutional Court has yet to make its ruling.

The dismissal decision by the administrative court came amid nepotism allegations regarding the change.

Company records show 108 out of the 1,285 temporary workers promoted to permanent positions were relatives of company employees who already held regular jobs. Last week, additional findings showed an additional seven employees upgraded to a permanent payroll were related to retired employees of Seoul Metro.

The nepotism scandal erupted last month in the National Assembly audit of the city government. Opposition lawmakers accused Seoul Metro's union members of tipping off family members to sign up as temporary workers, knowing these positions would soon be switched to permanent contracts. They also accused the union of “stealing job opportunities” from applicants.

The city government dismissed the allegations, calling it a “political attack” on Mayor Park Won-soon. It also said 34 of the suspected 108 were hired before the direct hiring decision was made.

On Wednesday, lawmakers agreed to conduct a National Assembly-led special investigation into illicit hiring practices at public firms including Seoul Metro.