[vol.19] [Equal Rights Couseling] From forcing the retirement of company couples to sexual abuse
WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:10EQUAL RIGHTS COUNSELLING
From forcing the retirement of company couples to sexual abuse
- counselling cases by different type -
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Ju Hwan Lee |
The subject matters of cases counseled by the Equal Rights Counseling from January to April are summarized in this column. The total number of enrolled counseling cases is 594. The majority of cases - totaling 295 - were related to employment.
211 cases (59.6%) were regarding unpaid wages, 62 cases (17.5%) dismissal, and 22 cases (6.2%) unfair treatment. Aside from these cases, there were 11 cases (3.1%) concerning gender discrimination, 25 cases (7.1%) sexual abuse in workplace, and 23 cases (6.5%) maternity protection and sick pay.
76.4 percent of visitors were married women. In terms of industrial sectors, 36.7% were from the manufacturing sector, 26.5% were official workers, 8.4% were from the sales sector, 16.3% from the service industry, 11.4% experts or technicians, and 0.6% from the administration sector. The percentages indicate that most cases prevailed from the manufacturing sector.
At present "Equal Rights Counseling" has established 8 branches (in Seoul, Puchon, Ansan, Inchon, Kwangju, Masan, North Cholla, and Pusan), with the central headqurters in Seoul Particularly in this year, the departments of the KCTU and the FKTU and Women's Link have jointly set up a counseling center to deal with issues of gender discriminative employment, indirect discrimination, and sexual abuse within the workplace, and the center has actively fulfilled counseling.
1. Cases of prior dismissal of women workers
- Pressurization of voluntarily retire-ment for company couples
There is a company with 1,400 regular workers and 200 to 300 temporary workers. Due to budget reductions, negotiations were held between the company and workers union in order to set a frame for lay-offs. Workers were scored in every aspect; the number of days-off and vacations, punishments and awards, etc. In the case of company couples, if one of them resigned, the other would achieve a higher score, but if both of them refused to resign, both would get a minus score.
As a result, 140 were dismissed. Excluding those in higher positions, 70% of the sacked workers were women. At that time, there were 33 couples in the company and most of the women in them were dismissed. 6 women tried to reject the order of retirement but finally had to resign. In the case of company couples, even if women were in higher positions, it was always the women who had to resign.
A woman worker struggled for the survival of her job. The company gave her minus points in career qualification scores, and she was finally retrenched. Her case has been brought to a local labour committee and she is awaiting the result.
- Equal Rights Counseling, KWWA -
2. The absence of post-marital and maternity protection
- Aggravations of health caused by five weeks' maternity leave, being placed on stand-by, changes of workplace to the outdoors.
She worked in a local monetary office for 10 years. She was given maternity leave for only 5 weeks and she was put on stand-by when she came back to her work. Then, her new work load entailed visiting open markets in a cold winter. Due to her new work, her health grew worse.
Her former position had already been filled. In her office, the married women used to resigned after marriage and it was the first time maternity leave had been requested. It is obvious that the company is trying to corner her into accepting resignation.
- Equal Rights Counseling, Inchon Women Workers Association -
- Forced to retire after notice of marriage
She was working in a cultural center of a department store. She informed her superiors of her forthcoming marriage. Then, her manager forced her to retire. In another case, a dietitian was replaced by a temporary worker after her honeymoon trip. It is unfair. In fact, most of the customers are married women and this better qualifies married clerks for the job.
There are more female clerks who will shortly get married, and if she gives up now, her junior colleagues will face the same process. She is daring to bring her case to court.
- Equal Rights Counseling, Pusan Women's Association -
3. Sexual abuse within the workplace
- Sexual abuse in an interview for a private bodyguard
An interview was held for the position of a private bodyguard. The company wanted bodyguards for the wives of the company seniors. The president of the company interviewed the applicants. The president said that he would call after his observation of individuals.
He estimated four or five months for his observation. She was called by the president. In the meeting, he made obscene comments and touched her hip. She was treated in a sexually-degrading manner. She left the meeting.
- Equal Rights Counseling, Seoul Women Workers Association -
- Irresponsible attitude of the public officers on an appeal of sexual abuse in the workplace
She was working in 'PC' on Sunday night when her senior manager grabbed her breast. She ran out of the place and has not written a resignation letter. She has worked there for only six months and is single. She wants the man to be dismissed. However, this may be impossible as the president of the company is his brother.
She does not want to work in this company any more. If she cannot bring about his dismissal, she wants to put him to shame. She called up the labor supervisor of the local office of the Ministry of Labor. The supervisor there said that there was no need to fight if she was leaving the company.
- Equal Rights Counseling, KWWAU-
Deterioration of labor conditions in Masan Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Masan & Changwon Women Workers Association reported the results of their research on the employment problems in Masan EPZ. The researchers provided a questionnaire and it was answered by 320 workers in the two weeks from April 6 to April 17. The purpose of the research was to give a clear picture of labor conditions and employment problems in the Masan EPZ. The questionnaire had five main sections concerning job insecurity, the reasons for job insecurity, what had changed, opinions on the changed labor conditions, and how the company worked out the changes. According to the results of the research, 67.5% of the respondents felt it was likely they would be fired. The reasons they gave included the social atmosphere (30%), lack of work in the company (27.5%), and verbal indications from their managers (22.5%). The changes in work conditions detailed by the respondents included compulsory time off monthly and yearly (62.5%), reenforced supervision and management (52.5%), increase of individual workloads (45%), decrease of wages (37.5%), frequent changes of working post (37.5%), and unpaid work (15%).60% of respondents regarded the changes as negative and 47.5% said that the company implemented the changes without observing proper procedures. The results of the research show that the workers in the Masan EPZ have no choice but to accept the one-sided demands - cut-off wages, compulsory monthly and yearly Time off, increased labor, etc. - because of fears of redundancy. The proper untermeasures as put forward by the workers union in the Export Processing Zone are indispensable. |