1. The current state of Koreafrom the view of counseling cases for women workers 2013

: Korean Women Workers Association disclosed the result of analysis on 2,794 counseling cases

 

- Part-time job predominated by single-youth-women, not benefit career-interrupted women

- A surge in counseling for sexual harassment at workplace, need to make policy alternatives

- Caregiver for elderly exposed to sexual harassment, verbal abuse and attack seriously, urgent to provide countermeasure

- Trend of an increase in counseling on maternity right by migrant women workers

 

 Korean Women Workers Association (KWWA) published “2013 Equaline counseling case book” on 6th January, analyzing counseling cases from 10 local EQUALINEs (counseling center for equal employment) nationwide. KWWA has been publishing casebooks every year since it established EQUALINE in 5 provinces in 1995. This is 18th casebook.

 Currently, Equline is located in 10 regions including Seoul, Incheon, Bucheon, Ansan, Suwon, Jeonbuk, Gwangju, Masanchanwon, Busan, Daegu. Equline in Daegu began in earnest counseling in May last year. Counseling cases from December 1st, 2012 to November 30th, 2013 were analyzed. Total number of cases during this period is 2,794 (excluded re-counseled cases, cases for female 2,643, cases for male 151). Male-counseled cases and re-counseled cases were excluded from analysis in order to examine counseling tendency and flow of women workers. It is shown that counseling by phone and internet has been increasing constantly, comprise 95.4% of the total cases.

 

Table1. Types of counseling

Categories	Working condition	Gender discrimination	Sexual harassment at work	Maternity rights	Verbal abuse and attack	others	Total
2003	1,628	226	271	379	119	156	2,779
%	58.6	8.1	9.8	13.6	4.3	5.6	100.0
2011	1,392	108	264	1,188	44	0	2,996
%	46.4	3.6	8.8	39.7	1.5	0	100.0
2012	1,055	108	354	990	62	0	2,569
%	41.1	4.2	13.8	38.5	2.4	0	100.0
2013	1,154	87	236	1,129	37	0	2,643
%	43.7	3.3	8.9	42.7	1.4	0	100.0

Counseling on working condition comprises 43.7%, Counseling on maternity right comprises 42.7%

 This year also counseling on working condition comprised the most with 43.7% of total case. But counseling on maternity right exceeded 40% for the first time, with 1,129 cases comprising 42.7%. Compared to data of 2003, counseling on maternity rights has tripled in the last ten years. It can be analyzed that women worker’s awareness on maternity right has increased while secured rights by law like maternity leave and child-care leave are not being implemented well. Whereas, counseling on verbal abuse and attack continuously tends to decrease.

 

 Looking at details of counseling on maternity right by category, maternity leave came first with 502cases (19.0%), followed by child-care leave with 432cases (16.3%), delayed payment of wage with 413cases (15.6%). In spite of inauguration of new government, promising a groundbreaking increase in women employment, the number of counseling on violation of law such as ‘disadvantage for pregnancy and delivery’ and ‘dismissal for pregnancy and delivery’ was 66 cases (2.5%) and 42 cases (1.6%) respectively, which has risen by 24 cases. As counseling on child-care leave and maternity leave is not simple inquiry but cases occurredby anticipation of pregnancy/delivery related disadvantage, the actual cases of ‘disadvantage for pregnancy and delivery’ were much more.

 

 Counseling on rest and rest-time has newly categorized separately due to the considerable frequency, which had been included to ‘Labor Standard Law-related et cetera’. Counseling on rest and rest-time accounted for 1.7% with 46 cases.

 

The worst part-time job, predominated by single-youth-women, not benefit career-interrupted women

 

 Proportion of regular workers among clients has been decreasing as years go by. Ratio of regular workers, which had exceeded 60% in 2011, has decreased by 3.4 per cent, with 57.9% in 2013. Meanwhile, proportion of non-regular workers had exceeded 40% last year, and reached 42.1% this year. Looking at distribution by non-regular workers’category, it is shown that proportion of part-time workers has been rising, while other non-regular workers like contract workers shows similar distribution.

 

Table 2.Employment type

	Employment type		Total
	Regular	Non-regular
2011	1,571	962	2,561
%	61.3	37.6	100
2012	1,253	842	2,095
%	59.8	40.2	100
2013	1,133	820	1,953
%	58.0	42.0	100.0

 

Table 3.Type of non-regular worker

	Non-regular							Total
	Part-time	dispatch	Labor service	Contract	dayworker	Consignment, specialized employment	Others
2011	162	60	78	589	69	4	28	990
%	16.4	6.1	7.9	59.5	7	0.4	2.8	100
2012	142	51	64	507	59	4	15	842
%	16.9	6.1	7.6	60.2	7	0.5	1.8	100
2013	149	61	42	489	50	8	21	820
%	18.2	7.4	5.1	59.6	6.1	1.0	2.6	100

 

Types of counseling by employment type are showing a decided difference. Counseling on maternity right comprises the majority of cases for regular worker with 42.6%. However in case of non-regular worker, counseling on working condition comprise 59.5%, the highest ratio, reflecting worse working condition of non-regular workers compared to regular workers.

 

Table 4. Types of employment by counseling style

	Part-time	Contract	Regular	Total
Counseling ratio of overdue wage	77cases 51.7%	59cases 12.1%	173cases 15.3%	413cases 15.6%
Counseling ration of after resignation	61cases 42.7%	87cases 18.1%	208cases 18.6%	477cases 18.0%
Preventive education on sexual harassment at work	1cases 7.7%	10cases 30.3%	2 cases 24.5%	36cases 24.0%
Less than 1 year	113cases 82.5%	190cases 41.4%	295cases 27.9%	775cases 29.3%
Single	81cases 58.3%	95cases 20.7%	231cases 21.5%	463cases 20.9%
Under 30s	66cases 48.2%	76cases 18.4%	203cases 21.5%	383 cases 22.0%
unionization	0 cases 0%	16 cases 4.8%	39 cases 4.8%	60 cases 4.3%