Non-regular school workers set to strike after wage negotiations fall through

Representatives of labor unions for non-regular school workers stage a protest in front of the Ministry of Education in Sejong city, Dec. 2. Yonhap

Non-regular school workers were set to launch a general strike Friday after wage negotiations with the education authorities fell through, their union said.

The strike will involve unionized school workers mostly involved in providing meals and child care, leading some schools to prepare in advance to replace Friday's lunch meal with bread and milk and substitute teachers of before- and after-school child care programs with volunteers.

The workers' unions had held multiple rounds of negotiations with the education ministry and local education offices since July to demand better pay and working conditions but failed to reach an agreement.

The number of workers joining the walkout is expected to be similar to the number that participated in the previous strike in March last year.

The education ministry estimated that 23,516 people, equivalent to 13.9 percent of the total, joined the walkout last time, causing disruptions in 3,293 schools nationwide.

Education authorities plan to operate situation rooms at local education offices to deal with emergencies and draw up countermeasures for each school. (Yonhap)