Parents, students support school workers' strike

Students at Namyang Elementary School in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, eat lunches brought from home, Wednesday, when the school’s irregular employees, including cafeteria workers, began a strike demanding a pay raise. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

Collective actions by teachers or other school workers have not usually gained support from students and parents because such actions affect children's daily school life ranging from study to lunch meals and after-school care programs.

Striking school staff used to be criticized for “taking students hostage.”

But this time, unlike previous cases, many students and parents are supporting a strike by temporary school workers.

More than 52,000 irregular employees ― including cafeteria cooks, janitors and administrative workers ― started a three-day strike on Wednesday seeking a pay raise.

Lunch meals were halted at more than 2,800 elementary, middle and high schools nationwide, and students were given bread and milk as a substitute or brought their own lunch.

Many people had predicted that public sentiment might go against the strike for inconveniencing students and parents.

But many are showing support, saying they understand why the workers had gone on strike.

They said they could tolerate the inconvenience if it helped improve workers' conditions.

Incheon Seoheung Elementary School sent a newsletter to students' families asking them to understand the inconvenience and support to the workers.

In the newsletter, principal Kim Ji-kook wrote that the school had decided to support the cafeteria workers and replace lunch with bread and milk because the school wanted students to understand the importance of coexistence with others.

“Our students can be inconvenienced for a short time,” Kim said in the newsletter. “However, instead of taking it as an inconvenience, I hope students and parents understand that they are protecting the rights of somebody living together with us. In the end, this is meaningful for all of us.”

In an interview with a local radio program, Kim said he expected to receive many phone calls from parents complaining about the situation, but surprisingly, he had only received calls supporting the school's decision.

Some parents even left messages of gratitude on Kim's social media for setting an example of “good education.”

At Incheon Namdong Elementary School, students left notes with messages supporting the strike.

At Gupo Elementary School in Busan, parents met the day before the strike to express support for the irregular workers.

“We hope there will be no discrimination against irregular workers in the future world where our children will live,” Kim Min-seon, representing the school's parents' group, told the gathering.

“But we also hope there will be no discrimination at the school they now attend. So we support the strike.”

A member of a parents' group in Busan also said at a rally of school workers at the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education, Thursday, “The striking irregular staffers have apologized to the children, but why do they have to be sorry? Children need to know why the staff are protesting in the street instead of staying at school. That's why we support the strike.”