<Public authorities at the head in dismissing irregular workers>

 


On July 14, 2009, 'Women’s Action for Decent Lives and Jobs’ (WADLJ) hosted ‘a rally for denouncement of the dismissals of irregular workers working at public institutes and the demand to regularize irregular workers.  In this rally, about 100 people gathered together, who are activists belonging to WADLJ, KBS fix-term workers who had been dismissed owing to the expiration of their contracts, those working at veterans hospitals, Korea Workers Accident Medical Corporation (K-medi), and contracted women workers whose work will be decided to be outsourced by KBS.

 

In the declaration, WADLJ denounced the government and the Grand National Party, saying “the Ministry of Labor that should have supported the upgrading of irregular workers at private companies and been concerned for the measures, and rather, it has made tacit approval of the ‘planned dismissals’ of irregular workers at public institutes, and public institutes are at the head in dismissing irregular workers. The government and the Grand National Party insisted in the deferment of the application of the Temporary Employee Protection Act, but there have been no incidents of dismissing 1,000,000 irregular workers that the government expected although more than 2 year and 10 days has been passed by since the act was effective.”

 

In addition, they claimed “women are 14 out of the 21 irregular KBS workers whose contracts were expired, and 127 among 145 dismissed workers by Korea Land Corporation. Women workers constituted 80% of all dismissed irregular workers by veterans hospitals. Recently most of irregular workers dismissed by public institutions are women.  Women workers have suffered a lot as the social weak, from the ‘planned dismissals’ by the government and the Grand National Party.”

 

In this rally, 4 workers dismissed by KBS, veterans hospitals and Korea Workers Accident Medical Corporation (K-medi) appealed the withdrawal of their dismissals and the transferring to regular workers. Kim Sanghee, a congresswomen belonging to Democratic Party and working at the Environment and Labor Committee stated “the government and the Grand National Party should listen to the appeals by the irregular workers who looked forward to the realization of their hope to become regular workers.  I am very sad about their painful realities.”

 

A performance was carried out at the end of the rally: actresses insinuated the Ministry of Labor who make tacit approval of the dismissal of irregular workers and take no measures for transferring and upgrading irregular workers. Participants threw water balloons to the Ministry of Labor that neglects its duties.

 

Posted by KWWA
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