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The principle of 'Equality' is deteriorating, and women's status is worsening
-Analyzing 1,500 cases of counseling over the last three years
Lee Ju-Huan (head of the Education Dept. of the KWWAU)
Cases counseled by the 'Equal Rights Counseling Center'
The 'Equal Rights Counseling Center' is operated by KWWAU's regional offices in the seven(7) regions of Seoul, Inchon, Masan & Changwon, Kwangju, North Cholla province, Pusan, and Ansan, at the moment. The statistics are based on the cases counseled by the Seoul Women Workers Association, Inchon Women Workers Association, Masan & Changwon Women Workers Association, and Pusan Women's Association among its offices.
over the three years show worsening job security for women workers. Under the current economic crisis, the so-called 'era of massive unemployment', the principle of equality that women workers have struggled for, is severely threatened, and is on the verge of collapse at this moment in the Korean society.
There has been a rapid increase in the number of cases related to employment, but a decrease in the number of cases related to discrimination and, lack of maternity protection. This indicates the worsening status of women workers in the workplace. In reality, they are driven into a corner by withheld back-wages and are laid-off; it is thus very difficult for them to protest against discrimination in the workplace and protect their maternity level.
Between September 1995 and August 1998 when the Equal Rights Counseling Center was opened, the total number of cases counseled were 1,562 (excluding re-counselling). Among them, cases related to withheld back wages or job insecurity such as lay-offs kept on increasing. This shows worsening job insecurity for women workers.
The great majority among cases related to job insecurity consists of back-wage issues. The most common issue for both male and female workers is back wages. However, female workers are in more difficult situations than their male counterparts because 62.1% of them work in firms with less than 5 workers, and they are employed on an irregular basis.
A woman who had stopped working in a garment company due to lack of payment of back wages, started working again for another firm. However, she eventually had to terminate her work there too because of the same reason. She complained that the firm was looking for other workers through announcements in community papers.
In particular, since women are usually concentrated in small and medium-size companies, they have suffered from worsening job security, and they have sought advice on non-payment of back wages and on lay-offs. The major reasons for non-payment of back wages are bankruptcies, temporary stoppage, factory closures, accumulation of withheld back wages, factory relocation and so on.
Amongst the cases related to lay-offs, the great majority are large-scale retirement 'recommended' by companies. Other forms of lay-offs are; selective re-employment by companies after all workers are forced to submit their resignation, closure and elimination of processing lines, merger and amalgamation of departments, and cases in which workers are on waiting lists. Indeed, regular women workers have decreased by 20%.
- Rapid increases in cases related to job insecurity
Percentage of cases of job insecurities counseled
|
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9 ~ 97.8 |
97.9 ~ 98.8 |
| Job insecurity |
51.7% |
56.6% |
91% |
Gender discriminatio
|
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9~ 97.8 |
97.9~ 98.8 |
| Gender discrimination |
18.8% |
8.7% |
5.1% |
Counselling on direct gender discrimination has kept on decreasing. The reasons for the low percentage is that companies largely employ indirect ways of discriminating against women such as closing and eliminating women-concentrated departments under the pretext of management difficulties, and forcing temporary workers who are mostly women to retire voluntarily from their jobs. In addition, due to prevalent threats of loss of employment under the current economic crisis, it seems difficult for women workers to take active action against discrimination against women.
Sexual violences in the workplace (including sexual harassment, and verbal abuse)
|
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9~ 97.8 |
97.9~ 98.8 |
| Sexual violence |
12.8% |
14.6% |
3.4% |
As the Korean mass media reports, sexual harassment in the workplace has increased over the years but the cases counseled are very few fears of retaliation such as loss of work. The great majority of the cases counseled by the Equal Rights Counseling Center are sexual harassment on a daily basis, verbal abuse, violent behavior, insults and other forms of violence, rather than actual rape.
This not only worsens women's working conditions but also threatens women's job security(including eventually forcing women to retire from their jobs). It also generates women's psychological distress, and furthermore, makes it difficult for them to maintain their ordinary lives.
In particular, it is much difficult to deal with sexual harassment when it occurs in small size firms. In regards to maternity protection and occupational diseases, counselling decreased rapidly over the last year. It is very difficult for women to claim maternity protection in situations where job insecurity is worsening.
Maternity protection and child-care
|
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9~ 97.8 |
97.9~ 98.8 |
| Maternity protection /child-car |
10.1% |
13.7% |
0.1% |
Occupational diseases
|
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9~ 97.8 |
97.9~ 98.8 |
| occupa-tional disease |
8.9% |
6.4% |
0.4% |
- Characteristics of counselees
Amongst counselees at the Equal Rights Counseling Center over the last three years, the number of cases of married women workers or unorganized women workers has increased. In particular, the highest number of counseled cases was with women workers in the manufacturing sector.
- Higher percentage of married women
While counseling for unmarried women has decreased, cases with married women have kept increasing steadily.
percentages of counseling with married and unmarried women
|
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9~ 97.8 |
97.9~ 98.8 |
| Unmarrie |
46.2% |
39.9% |
36.2% |
| Married |
53.8% |
60% |
63.8% |
- Rapid increases in counseling for unorganized workers
An increasing number of unorganized workers has sought counsel at the Equal Rights Counseling Center.
Percentage of counseling with unorganized
|
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9~ 97.8 |
97.9~ 98.8 |
| Unorganized workers |
72.5% |
79% |
85.2% |
- The great majority of cases seeking counsel are women workers in the manufacturing industries
There has been a rapid increase in counseling cases over the last three years. This shows worsening job security in the manufacturing sector.
Percentage of cases counseled in the manufacturing sector
| Occupatio |
95.9 ~ 96.8 |
96.9~ 97.8 |
97.9~ 98.8 |
| production |
26.2% |
31.7% |
42.4% |
| clerical |
14.6% |
30.9% |
24.4% |
| professional |
13.1% |
8.3% |
9.2% |
| service |
12.8% |
16% |
10.8% |
| sales |
9.3% |
11.7% |
7.8% |
| administ-ration/ management |
0.0% |
1.3% |
0.6% |
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Couseling Case
Question : Are dispatched workers eligible for maternity leave?
I have worked dealing with education and planning through a manpower agency since 1994, but the company where I was working changed its manpower agency three month ago.
I received a retirement grant. However, my job and the department where I work have not changed and I just renewed my contract. I am pregnant and I expected to deliver my baby in three months. I asked for the provision of maternity leave by mail, but my manpower agency replied that 'we do not have any provision'. However, I wonder whether I can receive it anyway whether I can ask my recruiter for it?
Answer : Dispatched workers are eligible for protection provided by the Standard Labor Law. According to the article 34(exceptional case of the coverage of the Standard Labor Law in the Dispatch Law enacted in July 1998, recruiters (representatives of companies where workers actually work) are responsible for providing leaves, and manpower agencies (representatives of manpower agencies) for paying wages.
However, if recruiters and owners of manpower agencies violate the Labor Standard Law, the Dispatched Law stipulates punishing both of them. Therefore, you have to discuss your leave with the recruiter, and then your payment with the owner of your manpower agency. dated September, 1998 by Equal Rights Counseling Center, SWWA |
Korea Working Women's Network 1999 |
