The forum, “The Balance Between Work & Life, the Justifiable Right of People,” was held by KWWA, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the revision of the Maternity Protection Act, on the 29th of June at Seoul Women's Plaza. There has been a need for a solution to the fact that it was bound to females and has generated other problems like the increase of caring responsibility.

At the very beginning, the first speaker Kim Yeongok pointed out that a policy for a balance between work and life bound only to women has caused gender discrimination of labor and has strengthened the division of labor by gender. According to her, the solution is to map out a sustainable, long term plan, not bread and circuses policies. Her other claim was that in order to dissolve the divided labor structure by gender, we should consider the problem of child-care. She also suggested that commercialization of labor and an escape of caring responsibility from the family are required for women, and the exact opposite for men. She underlined the importance of a community-based economic activity and the imaginative power for it. Lastly, she added that we need a new working environment, a new a new standard for the quality of life, and a new way of living to fix the chronic problem of dehumanization at work.

Park Sunyeong, the second speaker, alleged that the problem of a non-regular female worker not receiving maternity leave pay still paying unemployment benefits when her contract is expired, must be sorted out. According to Park, an expiration of a non-regular woman worker's contract means the end of her employment even though she had been paying for her insurance, and only two-fifths of women workers are actually being insured. The right to be paid should take priority over whether the person is employed or not.

In the third address, Han Jiyoung weighed in on the need to extend paternity leave and paternity pay. She reviewed the 1 month quota system of Assemblyman Kim Sungsik and the 2 month system of Assemblyman Hong Youngpyo and suggested a 3 month quota system.

Finally, Baek Seonhee maintained that we block the passage of the autonomous day-care center system, which would make nursery registration fees skyrocket. She suggested working parents be provided with child-care support over day-care service and financial support.

It was already 4pm when the addresses from the 4 experts ended. A forum was held after that by 6 debaters including members of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Employment and Labor. They had a spirited debate for 90 minutes.

We at KWWA, the holder of the forum, will promote follow-up actions for the required amendment of the law. Every single worker is responsible for caring, thus we will keep working for the day when the balance between work and life is appreciated by work places and the society to come.

“The Domestic Workers Protection Agreement,” which was considered as the last important issue of the international labor community, was passed by a majority at the 100th International Labor Organization general meeting on the 16th of June, with 396 votes in favor, 63 in abstention, and only 16 against.

We at the Solidarity for Care Workers' Legal Protection are very glad to hear that the domestic workers protection agreement was taken up by the international community and especially that the South Korean government is for the agreement, taking seriously the 300,000 domestic workers' demand. Now is the time for the South Korean government to ratify.

The 300,000 domestic workers have yearned for equal treatment as  respectable workers as well as basic benefits such as occupational health and safety insurance. They have been shunned from every kind of legal protection and social acknowledgement due to the prejudice that their labor is merely domestic and relevant only to women. Accordingly, domestic workers and civil labor organizations have been taking action for the amendment of the domestic law and ILO agreement since 2010.

What matters is that the Ministry of Labor has not been disclosing any information about the ratification except “the agreement in principle.” This might be a sign that the government is merely posturing that they are for the group of international nations, though it is quite encouraging that they went along with the agreement right before departing to Geneva.

Joining OECD and hosting G20 does not is not what promotes a nation's grade. Valuing the rights of the people and helping the disadvantaged class to work makes an advanced country.

Thus, we at the Care Workers' Solidarity demand for the government to clarify their plan and schedule on the ratification, in response to the keen interest of the global community on the agreement .

We suggest that the labor world, the groups who are concerned, and civic groups have a chance to discuss the issue together.

ILO agreements, generally, become effective one year after the ratification instruments of each nation arrives at ILO, which means that there still remains one year for the agreement to be actually effective after it is ratified. Also, to have the agreement ratified, it is necessary to revise the domestic law reflecting the present conditions of industry.

However, the government is not even capable of figuring out the reality of domestic workers and not ready to revise any legislation related to the Labor Standard Act, hiding behind the shield of “the exemption of the Labor Standard Act clause.” In the meantime, South Korea is one of the countries that has the poorest protection for domestic workers as they have been fundamentally alienated from legal protection. That is why we urgently need to minimize the initation period.

Thus, we at the Care Workers' Solidarity expect the government to work on the ratification in collaboration with the group of concerned domestic workers who have actually been involved in the act, the two umbrella labor organizations, and civic groups--not only on their own.

In the conclusion, We do appreciate that ILO signed the agreement for domestic workers, and the government has approved of it. We urge the South Korean government to prepare promptly and positively for ratification.

17th of June, 2011