Summarized by Moh, Yoonsook(head of Education Dept. IWWA)

It is very urgent and necessary to organize irregular women workers in the women workers' movement. KWWAU jointly carried out research and organized a workshop of organizational strategies of irregular women workers with the Korean Women Studies Institute (KWSI) and Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) on November 10, 1998. We summarize research results.

Under the current economic crisis where irregular workers have rapidly increased, trade union and/or irregular workers seldom take organized action against their situation. In particular, the present enterprise-based trade union system centered on regular workers is restricted in its possibilities to represent and defend irregular workers' interests and demands. Hence, the issue of organizing irregular workers who can be found throughout society is an unavoidable and urgent task in the trade union movement and the women workers' movement.

• Employment trends of irregular women workers

  Under the current economic crisis, many companies have discriminated against women and forced regular female workers to become irregular workers under the pretense of necessary restructuring. In particular, married women have been illegally targeted for irregular employment. In the process of restructuring, women are targets of this practice.

  Regular women workers are dismissed and/or victims of the closure of their women-concentrated departments and then re-employed through temporary employment agencies. In addition, companies usually terminate female workers who attempt to resist these unfair labor practices. Since companies target female workers first and concentrate on women for unfair labor practices, the irregular employment of women workers has rapidly increased.

• Employment situation by type

  1. part-time Employment

     1. employment situation

        In the Korean IMF era, the number of workers working under 36 hours (they are usually classified as part-time workers) has been on the increase, but 36, or more, hours on the decrease. This means that job security has become worsened. Research conducted by the Ministry of Labor shows that about 80% of part-time workers are women.

        In the 1990s, while the number of part-timers has decreased dramatically in the agricultural and fishery industries, the number has increased rapidly in the finance and insurance industries, wholesale and retail industries and the food and hotel industries. In 1994 part-time workers accounted for 22.4% in the manufacturing industry, 16.8% in the wholesale and retail industries, and 39.3% in the food and hotel industries. This implies that part-time employment has spread in the service sector in particular.

        In terms of marriage status of part-time workers by industry, the distribution industry mostly employs married women workers, and the bank and hospital industries unmarried women workers. Married women are employed in the form of 'housewife part-timers' in department stores or they are contracted out as 'housewife tellers' after their retirement. In the case of unmarried women, they are employed as 'part-time nurses' and their contracts are renewed in the form of part-time employment.

        There has been an the increase of part-time workers in the 20s and 30s age groups. They made up 23.9% amongst the age group of 20-29, and 26.5% in the age group of 30-39 in the 1980s, and increased to 31.0% and 31.0% in 1994. Among male part-timers, the age group of 20- 29 accounted for 72.9% and others merely 10%.

        According to their gender and age, part-time male workers made up 29.3%, but female 70.7%. This implies that part-time employment is not only a form of employment allowing women to work while also performing housework and caring for their children, but instead it is used to replace unmarried female workers by married female workers.

        The most outstanding characteristic of this form of employment is that a very large proportion of part-timer workers are women. In fact, the entire married and unmarried female labor force is now irregular, whereas before part-timers were generally married women. This is due to the fact, first, work opportunities are very limited to married women and no social supports for house-work or child caring, are available to them. And second, unmarried women are now vulnerable in the labor market since they are hired under nominal part-time contracts.

     2. Condition of labor

        A survey on irregular workers in the distribution industry conducted by the Korean Federation of Commercial Workers' Union (KFCWU) in 1997, found that the average hours worked per week by part-timers were 45.76 hours.

        However, part-time workers have received lower wages (they are not paid allowances, overtime pay, and receive no vocation), compared to regular workers. The average monthly wages of part-time workers are much lower than the first payment of regular workers performing similar work in the bank, retail and hospital industries.

        Part-time workers are discriminated in terms of all allowances as well as in terms of wages. Bonus accounted for 4.3%, retirement allowance 13.0% out of all allowances received by part-time workers, overtime pay 37.5%, and payment for work on holiday 29.2%. Regular workers obtained almost 95% of every allowance, but part-time workers were severely discriminated. In addition, they seldom receive monthly leaves, yearly leaves or menstruation leaves.

  2. Dispatched workers

     According to a report issued in 1992, there were 120 manpower agencies, and 74 recruiters, but there are today 2,699 manpower agencies, 3,164 recruiters with over 100 workers, and 100,000 dispatched workers.

     If adding an already illegal form of dispatched employment such as cleaners and care-takers, manpower agencies are projected to grow to 3,573, recruiters to 3,954 (more than 30 workers) and dispatched workers to 225,000. Dispatched workers account for 3.75% of the total number of 6 million Korean workers, which is much higher than figures in some other developed countries. However, since dispatched employment has so far been considered as illegal, there probably is a much higher number of dispatched workers in reality.

     1. The reality of employment

        The manufacturing industry employed 59.3% the dispatched workers surveyed representing the highest percentage. This shows that the claim made by the government and industry that dispatched employment occurs in specialized and skillful areas, is false. In addition, the service industry makes up 18.5% of non-manufacturing sector.

        In addition, dispatched employment has a clear gender segregation. In the manufacturing sector, men account for 64.6% of production workers, 88.5% of assisting production workers, and 98.2% of technical plumbers. Women made up 84.8% of clerical assistants, and 90.9% of service related work.

        The current trends in the employment of regular workers have been decreasing while the number of dispatched workers have been increasing. The highest increase in the number of dispatched workers is in production jobs in the manufacturing sector. In particular, the number of dispatched workers has sharply increased in large-size companies. The service sector has also seen large increase in the number employed.

        In terms of age distribution, 57.6% of women are between the ages of 10-29, but also that men have a relatively even distribution between all age groups. This shows that women have more difficulties in finding regular jobs and have to turn to dispatched jobs.

     2. Working conditions

        Dispatched workers have less working days a month and/or working hours a week of regular workers. However, they have longer working hours per day. The different wage levels between regular workers and dispatched workers. Dispatched workers earned 67.7% of the average wages of regular workers. In addition, men earned 74.3% of regular workers' wages and women only 50.9%.

        Dispatched workers are discriminated against in terms of wages and all additional monetary benefits. While regular workers received almost all benefits, dispatched workers received no more than 50% of the benefits. In particular, dispatched workers obtained 29.7% of maternity leaves, which means women's pregnancy and child-caring often caused unemployment. Hence, women face more severe job insecurity.

        Only 9.1% companies employed dispatched workers because of a shortage of labor as claimed by the government and industry, but 86.7% employed them regularly to carry out particular tasks. This means that using dispatched workers is in fact a replacement of regular workers and a way to obtain cheap labor.

        The regular employment of dispatched workers when surveying the duration of employment of dispatch workers. The companies employing dispatched workers in the long term such as over 3 years, made up the highest percentage (28.1%). Amongst dispatched workers 56.9% are employed for more than 1 year. No differences cannot be found by industry and size of company. Hence, the employment of dispatched workers in large size companies has been consolidated and expanded.

     3. A majority of dispatched workers are unorganized

        Members of trade unions constituted 4.6% amongst dispatched workers. Many workers answered 'trade union are not set up yet,' or 'there is a trade union, but I don't join a trade union', which shows a situation in which trade unions target dispatched workers. The membership of dispatched workers can also be co-related to the level of activism by the trade unions of the recruiting companies.

  3. Temporary/day employment

     In Korea, since different definitions are used by the Ministry of Labor and the National Statistical Office, and even definitions used by the National Statistical Office vary yearly, classification drawing a difference between temporary workers and day workers is difficult.

     1. Employment situation

        Employment trends of temporary workers since 1990. About 30% of workers were employed on a temporary basis. Male temporary workers made up about 29%, and women over 40%, which shows that women's employment has become temporary. Compared to 1990, temporary employment has slightly increased overall.

        However, the percentage of male workers has been decreased, but that of women increased from 39.6% in 1990 to 43.2% in 1996. This shows that a higher number of women have entered the labor market as temporary workers rather than regular workers, and along with the number of temporary workers has been on increase.

        The ratio of female temporary workers reached 60%, similar to that 1997. In particular, the wholesale, food and hotel industries employed the largest number female temporary workers, and the ratio of female temporary workers was high in the finance, insurance and service industries.

     2. Working condition

        Temporary and day workers have shorter average working days per month and average working hours per week, than regular workers. However, they receive only half the vacations of regular workers. Temporary and day workers obtained 67.7% of the wages of regular workers.

        The great majority of regular workers receive almost all of the additional benefits available. Temporary and day workers received only 62.7% of regular workers' overtime pay, even if they also do over-time work. They seldom receive employment insurance, pension and so on, so that they face more financial difficulties as well as job insecurity.

        51.1% of temporary and day workers replied that they made 1 year contracts. However, this includes cases of renewed year contracts, so that they were essentially the same as regular workers. In addition, 25.5% of temporary and day workers were treated differently from regular workers in terms of wages and other working conditions because they had no specific terms of contracts.

     3. Their relation with trade unions

        Although 98.1% of regular workers are organized into trade unions, membership of temporary and day workers is just 11.1%. In item of trade unions' attempt to organize irregular workers, as many as 26.1% of temporary and day workers surveyed responded that 'I do not know of any union activism,' which shows their indifference to enterprise-based trade unions. However, this means not only their indifference to trade unions but also trade unions' lacking efforts in organizing temporary and day workers.

        Irregular forms of employment such as part-time employment, dispatched employment and temporary and day employment has expanded because of the demand of industry, especially under the current economic turmoil. As a consequence, the replacement of regular workers by irregular workers, worsening working conditions and lower wages, their job insecurity has seriously worsened, and trade unions have been dismantled. Hence, the issue of organizing irregular workers is an urgent task in the trade union movement and the women workers' movement.

On October 30, 1998, "the fourth rally for come workers' job security and women's unemployment prevention" was held in front of the headquarters of the ruling party. In the rally, 'Free platform of 20 women speaking up to the present government' was formed to convey needs of various groups of women workers. The following was abstracted from their presentations.

1. Abolish the system of military service-adding points to "provide equal opportunity for women"

   Please pardon me for not mentioning my name and student number. Several months ago, I took an examination to be government officer at the 9th level. It was very competitive and so the passing mark was the high score of 95. My average score was only 92, only even though I worked hard. Of course, I failed the examination.

   Since men usually have an additional five points for completing the military service, it is almost impossible for women to keep up with them. I understand the government's position giving extra benefits to men who complete the service. However, it is extremely difficult to find a job at the moment. In particular, as a woman, I have been looking for a job for two years since graduating from university.

   I suggest the following; the government can give extra benefits to those who do their military services, but this should not stop women from being benefited from equal job opportunities. That is to say, economic benefits at higher salary classes can be given to those men who pass exams, but the system of military service-adding points should be abolished to guarantee equal opportunities to women. I strongly believe that this current practice deprives women of equal opportunities.

   I called newspapers, broadcasting stations and even the Blue House to let them know of my opinion, but I realized that the Korean society is male dominant. None of these authorities paid any attention to me.

   I have decided to discuss my situations with my university. I feel ashamed although already an alumni of the university, I am looking for help rather than contributing to it as I should do. I strongly request the abolishment of the system of military service-adding points. Abstract from a woman's letter about the military service-adding points system which is a factor preventing women from finding work.

2. Factory disappearing with sewing machines after withheld back wages

   My husband is unemployed, and I have two children aged 24 and 25. I have worked in garment factories for about five years. During this period, I suffered from withheld back wages twice and so, I sued them at a local labor office.

   Early last March, I started working at a garment factory called 'Chongsol' through an advertisement in a community newsletter. My wage was set as 800,000 WON a month. For the first three months, I was paid regularly, but later, my wages were continuously delayed. They were delayed one month, two months and so on...

   The company promised to pay my wages by the date of September 17, 1998, but the promise was not kept. I then waited for the company's promise to sell the sewing machines to pay their workers. On the day when the company was to pay me back, I went to the company one hour earlier than my appointment. I found some people putting the sewing machines into a truck.

   I could not find anybody from the company but a truck driver, so I thought the owner may have been in the office. But, the office was empty. The truck left. I waited and waited for the owner, but he did not came. Now, I do not know how to get back my wages. I am really very upset whenever I recall my hard work, doing overnight hours and skipping dinner. I dislike advertisements for seamstresses in community newspapers.

   - by Mrs. Park with the age of 52, living in Kuro 6-dong, Seoul

3. Woman householder excluded from the government's public work project

   Female householder participating in the 4th rally for calling for women worker's job security and demanding the government to establishment women's unemployment prevention

   I am a 43 year-old householder living in Inchon. I have a son going to middle school. I have been the breadwinner for my family, even when I had an irresponsible husband at home. However, at the moment most restaurants don't hire, and the job of a domestic helper is not in demand. I look at community newsletters almost everyday.

   Whenever I call upon them, my age becomes a problem. They usually hang up after I answered "I am 43 years old." I am registered as a single mother. Although the government announced that we, temporary pensioners are able to work in public works projects, and that we are eligible for government to support for our livelihoods, what the government has done for me who is a single mother as well as a woman householder, has been to give me 20,400 WON per month as support.

   It also gave me work for 20 days. However, the government did not let me work any larger. I went to several district offices to beg them to give me some work. They responded that single mothers can only participate in projects specially designed for them, while destitute and temporarily unemployable people may join general public work projects. All support existing for single mothers who want economic independence is 20,400 WON a month, which is less than for destitute and temporarily unemployable people.

   I joined a job training program for women householders to become a cook. I asked officers if I could be employed as cook several times, but they gave negative replies. One day, when I heard that the government was implement-ing meals project in secondary high and high schools, I went to the Education Office and visited officers related to school projects to ask about the project.

   However, they answered that the project would be subcontracted to private companies, and so that the cooks would be employed by these subcontracting companies. This means that my employment as a cook is not guaranteed. Therefore, I would like to make some suggestions.

   I request that women householders be allowed to join job training programs and public works in accordance with their training. I desperately request the government to employ women householders as cooks in secondary high and high schools. In addition, I suggest that women householders be able to manage direct 'women householders' subcontracting operation system's in meals projects that are subcontracted to private companies.

   - by Mrs. Kwon living in Inchon

4. One-side company restructuring to victimize workers

   The Chohung System Co., a 100% subsidiary of the Chohung Bank was established in 1990 with 70 workers. It aims at systemizing and computerizing the bank and its subsidiaries.

   Unemployment workers demand the government to establish women's! Unemployment coutermeasures! To guarantee women workers' job security & to abolish the military service-adding-point system!

   Initially, workers from the Chohung System Co. were dispatched to the Computing Dept. of the bank under the pretext that they had to learn banking jobs. but, we are still dispatched workers. Finally, the company has asked a manpower agency to fill their needs for labor force from the Chohung bank. In addition, the bank has discouraged the company from developing, by appointing its retired directors, who know little about computers as major ones in the company.

   In August 1995, workers in the Chohung System Co. working under poor working conditions established a trade union under the slogan of 'our future in our hands' and we were affiliated with an industry trade union of the KCTU. In the beginning of establishing the union, the management delayed making collective agreements demanded by the trade unions and, punished its members, it also made false accusations against union executives. Twenty members left the union at that time.

   Nevertheless, the remaining union members united to fight for their trade union. In November 1996, collective bargaining was authorized by the federation of trade unions and we went on strike to defend our collective agreement. The major issues were 1. obtaining the right to collective action 2. limiting dispatched employment. A collective agreement was reached after a three day strike.

   In retaliation, the company and the bank punished the union members with accusations of 'leaving the workplace without permission', and forced them to be dispatched to the Computing Dept. of the bank. To resist this decision, the union refused the dispatchment on the ground that its collective agreement guarantees 'banning workers from being re-dispatched for three months' and went on a legal struggle.

   The company refused paying back-wages out January, 1997, claiming that the workers had refused their jobs. The union's struggle against non-payment of back wages developed into a strike for retiring the company's president. As a result of a three month-long intense struggles involving out rallies in front of the headquarters of the bank and the president's home, the union eventually managed to achieve its demands for payment of back wages, retirement of the president, and development of programs for the company.

   On July 25, 1998, the bank announced that it was closing down the company, which was against the negotiation agreed upon during the previous month. That day the union set up an urgent action committee to carry out struggles against the company's decision and for guarantees of job security, and it held rallies in front of bank's headquarters. On August 1, 1998, the company fired all workers and prevented us from entering the office. In reaction to this, the union went on a struggle and set up tents at the well-known Myongdong Cathedral on August 10, 1998.

   The union saw the closure as nominal restructuring by the bank. While it carried out various kinds of rallies, it suggested practical alternatives which included the demands and interests of all 41 members.

   The committee prepared to take over the company in solidarity with a center assisting workers to take over the management and the finances of their ailing companies, aims to set up independently-managed companies as alternatives for maintaining job security. Then, on October 14, 1998, the union openly suggested taking over the company and demanded that the bank actively negotiated with us.

   On November 1, 1996, as a result of 100 days of united struggles the company expressed it willing to solve the dispute through several channels. The trade union was inspired by this to carry out firm struggles until obtaining victory.

   - by enraged women workers of the Chohung System Co., a company that closed without any concern for its workers.

Min Na Park(Editorial staff of Seoul Women Workers Association)

Working women are beautiful but have difficult jobs. In the workplace, women suffer from traditional gender discrimination. Married women face problems such as pregnancy, child delivery and child care as well as demanding husbands and housework.

At that point, many working women give up. So, the working women who obtain gains are much more beautiful. Cho, Yo-Ock thinks it is pitiful that working women stop working because they have to take care of their children. However, she thinks this more importantly depends on her will to work. Due to her strong self-confidence, she worked until the day she gave birth, and was able to continue working happily, although she carried her babies on her back. Let's listen to her story, who has worked with enthusiasm and who is now turning 40 years old.

• Ox-feeding girl having a great desire to learn more

  She was born as the sixth child amongst six daughters and one son, in the small Ocksan village, Pado-ri, Toji-myon, Kooryeh-kun in 1959. Her family was destitute in a poor village. Her siblings were intelligent and good students in primary school, but it was very difficult for the girls to go to secondary high school, because they were responsible for taking care of the family ox, the only family treasure.

  However, Cho, Yo-Ock was determined and finally managed to go to secondary high school, 7 miles far away from her home. She was often scolded: 'I will burn your school uniform and books'. In the 60s, people were poor but those memories are warm and valuable.

  When she was close to graduating from secondary high school, she could not help but wanting to study further. However, going to high school was almost impossible in her poor family situation, even though she was told that she had passed the high school examination. The industrial high school run by the Hanil Composite Textile located in Masan, appealed to her like a good rain in a draught.

  However, her life in the dormitory was awful because holidays were available only once a month and there was a roll-call for students every evening. Working in the production line and processing fleece was very dusty and hard work. Her sister was kind enough to wash her uniform and help her a lot, but she waited for the days when she could return home.

• Sprout of the labor movement grown in the JOC

  The day she went to the Catholic Women's Hall with her friend is an important turning point in her life. At that time, the Yang Duck Cathedral was located in the Hall. She was baptized at that church and joined the JOC. Her interest for the labor movement developed when listening to struggles in the labor movement such as the Dong-il women workers' struggle.

  After graduating from industrial schools women workers usually take up work in electronic companies where job are easier and wages are high. They are tired of the hard work in the textile and garment industries. She too changed job and moved to the Dong Kyong Silicon. After her sister's marriage, she lived in a dormitory run by a nunnery. Many dormitory mates worked at other companies and this was helpful for her work as a member of JOC.

  Before 1987, no independent trade unions were set up in the Masan and Changwon area. It was the same in the Dong Kyong Silicon. She was involved in forming various small groups, carrying out daily activities like resisting to frisks. In the course of preparing to organize a trade union, she was selected as a full-time head of the Education Dept. in the JOC. She never took a break at that time.

  It was 1984 when she went to Seoul because she was elected as a woman president of the National headquarter of the JOC, due to her very positive activities. However, she faced several difficulties because of the conservative attitudes of the Seoul headquarters and its conflicts with local branches.

  She mentioned that she had been able to overcome hardships thanks to the assistance of a supervisor, Father Michael. Working with him was helpful. Because he is open minded and progressive, he established people-centered programs for ordinary people. She got much help from him and was influenced by him.

• Working in Ansan

  After working for two years, she then started working for the Labor Section of the Won Kok Cathedral where friends associated with the JOC had already settled down. Initially the labor movement was very limited there, but it was the time when some people-centered churches and many activitists started working. A cathedral is a good shield for those activists. It was usually open for organizational gatherings and meetings. Because of her activities there, she was often confined in the Kwang-myong police station during chilly winters and smelly summers.

  She worked overnight to prepare for organizing meetings, undertaking education and counselling programs, and performing other activities which can never be stopped. During the large labor struggles of July, August and September, 1987, she contributed to setting up numerous trade unions as if she were a union-making machine.

• Establishing a true world for human beings

  In 1988 she was so busy that she worked until the moment she was taken to hospital to deliver her baby. She took only a month's leave and then went to her office with her baby on her back. She thinks that caring for children is a full-time job. Conflicts usually occur when helps in taking care of children is expected from others. But, she does not want to stop working because of child care. She thinks this is because of her strong will.

  Her situation did not change when she delivered her second baby. She did her best when working and had her children beside herself. It was quite difficult to organize meetings, to participate in rallies, and to undertake activities under those circumstances. In 1990 when a military policeman was killed, the regime started to raid activists' homes. Even though her eldest son was very young, suddenly all of her families had to flee at 1:00 a.m.

  The more she has had these kinds of experiences, the more she has been willing to work, even though she felt sorry for her family. Maybe she is more ambitious to work. Since joining the JOC, she has not even taken a day off. She cannot stop working because she strongly disagrees with the controlling rule over the world.

  She is interested in education for workers and advocates principle of 'labor school', and education programs in the Labor section of the Church. She thinks that workers' education should be based on humanitarianism. Her interest in educating workers is in developing a democratic people with strong beliefs in eliminating hardships in society; she wants to develop people's capacity to find and solve problems for themselves through participatory education.

  Since the labor movement works for human beings, it should be accessible and friendly to correspond to people's demands and circumstances. So, she is working to set up a new model of the movement in accordance with the times. Since her participation in the activities of the JOC, she has viewed the labor movement as her calling, but she has felt limited in working in the Labor Section of the church. In spite of current trends towards specialization, she was limited to working for this weak labor organization without any area of speciality and without being paid.

• Transformation into women labor activist

  In the course of her activities, she joined KWWAU and became responsible for the Ansan Women Workers' Welfare Center (affiliated with the KWWAU). This has not only increased her awareness of women's issues but has also led to the projects for women workers are need.

  In her work, not only her slogan is, 'go to your workplace with specific programs in mind', which means not only to carry out programs for people seeking these programs, but also searching for people needing these programs. Thus, in conjunction with local child-care centers, she held classes for parents and carried out parenthood programs which have been welcome by local people.

  She believes that organizing and developing the programs well received by people will bring about mutual support between those at grassroots levels. She mentions that she has worked like a horse for the last eight months, since opening the Ansan WWA. Through this, she believes that her views on women workers have become more clearer. "I believe everything starts from individuals.

  Nothing is more important than the individual's firm will to change society. Sincere self-control encourages people to develop capabilities and to consolidate passions as activists. Women's powers grow stronger and stronger if women's own characteristics can be developed and improved."

  Since the Ansan WWA started, she smiles and says that work has accumulated every day even though she works hard to accomplish all tasks. The most important thing is to organize people with care and compassion, to be interested in women workers' issues. She hopes to make her organization friendly and accessible to people. Through such efforts, I believe that her hopes and dreams for making joyful and equal society will finally come true like trees blooming in the spring.

• Drinking and Recalling memories

  Translator's note: Drinking amongst friends is an important way of socializing in the Korean society and the labor movement. It is a way for people to let off steam, and to promote friendship and open discussion.

  I ask what is the most difficult in her work. Unexpectedly, she says that she is lonely. Of course, she is always thankful to her husband who understands and supports her 100%, but she also feels some emptiness which she cannot share with him. People have at least one old good friend who can listen to problems, but she usually is the senior person in her activities because many people have left NGOs for a variety of reasons.

  At the age of 40, she would like to have a good friend to talk with when she is lonely and to drink with, but she cannot easily think of anyone to do that with. When we recall our past, we do not meet people without any tension. I hope time will change under new political regime, and in the future people will go to the Kumkang mountain (located in North Korea)....

  Translator's Note : [] Mountain Kumgang carries much meaning for the South Korean people as it has become a symbol of national reunification.

  Then, I hope the day will come when we can sit, talk, and drink without worries.... Before that day, I would like to drink with her, talking about the old stories that she has not shared yet.

This section will appear regularly in this volume, because we feel the need to report regularly the activities of the Action Center for Women's Unemployment (ACWU) in Working Women. The ACWU has been established. This article is an abstract from the monitoring report on public employment centers issued by the ACWU affiliated with the KWWAU on November 30, 1998. This article summarizes the 'results of survey on unemployed women' and 'policy suggestions to strengthen functions of public employment offices'.

1. Analyzing results of surveys on unemployed women

   The survey was conducted by the KWWAU and Seoul Women Workers' Association in the Seoul area, Inchon Women Workers' Association in the Inchon area, Kwangju Women Workers' Association in the Kwangju area, and the Action Center of Women's Unemployment. affiliated with the Pusan Women's Association in the Pusan area.

   This survey aims at finding better ways to identify and solve a variety of difficulties that unemployed women confront, when they cannot easily be employed and when they cannot find adequate counsel. The survey targeted unemployed women with the distribution of 1,000 questionnaires. Out of them, 721 questionnaires were returned and used for this analysis.

   Divided by region, 201 questionnaires were collected from Seoul, 170 from Pusan, 146 from Inchon, and 204 from Kwangju. Among them, 497 women were registered with public offices as job seekers, but 220 were not. The questionnaires with no replies were excluded from this analysis.

   1. Characteristics of the sample

      Unemployed women responsible for family finances make up 58.7% of the survey. Those who have previous working experiences account for 91.9% of the total respondents. Their jobs prior to their unemployment were ordinary clerical (28.4%) and sales women in the service sector (26.0%), which are the great majority. As many as 72.3% represent women who had stopped working within a year.

      Duration of unemploymen
      

      Duration when women are not employed	Frequency	％
      within a year	474	72.3
      2-3 years	95	14.5
      4-5 years	21	3.2
      5-7 years	22	3.3
      +8 years	44	6.7

   2. Results from the survey on unemployed women registered as job seekers with public employment offices

      The women registered with public offices make up 69.3 % numbering 497 persons, among the total respondents. In terms of the public employment offices where they are registered, local labor offices represent 38.1%, manpower banks 20.1%, Industrial Manpower Corp. 26%, District offices 19.9%, the offices of Dong 22.8%, and other public offices 13.9%.

      Also, unpaid temporary agencies account for 0.4%, paid agencies for 0.8%, manpower agencies for 0.8%, Action Centers for Women's Unemployment for 7.2%, and others for 0.6%. Therefore, the offices where the greatest number of women are registered are local labor offices. The offices of Dong are where women usually register themselves for public work. The average number of registered offices is 1.15.

      Numbers of contacts by public employment offices to unemployed people for job placemen
      

      Number of contacts by employment offices	Frequency	％
      once	130	27.4
      2-3 times	55	11.6
      over 4 timesv	26	5.5
      nil	263	55.5

      The reasons for the low rates of job placement are that 40.6% of unemployed women think that jobs are not available, 14.2% regard their careers as not professional and skilled, 17.6% think they are too old, while the low percentage of 6.2% of women indicate that officers are unhelpful and indifferent.

      Why do you think that you are informed of few jobs?
      

      Reasons	Frequency	％
      jobs are unavailable	131	40.6
      officers are insincere	20	6.2
      I am not professional	46	14.2
      I am too old	57	17.6
      I am married	17	5.3
      other	52	16.1

      Concerning the item related to their acceptance of jobs when there was a job opening, 56.5% of women answered that they accepted the job, which is slightly higher than 43.5% who replied that they have not. The reasons for not working despite the job opening were that 33.3% of women said the job was different to the announcement, 17.9% were refused by companies, and 16.7% that the job was temporary, and 13.1% that the working atmosphere made them uneasy. In particular, the reply with the highest percentage confirmed that the job information provided by public employment offices was not adequate and precise.

      Why did you not accept the job opening?
      

      Reasons for not taking positions	Frequency	％
      Jobs were different	28	33.3
      Jobs were temporary	14	16.7
      Working atmospheres were strange	11	13.1
      I was refused by the company	15	17.9
      Other	16	19.0

      The highest percentage of women(38.4%) indicated that the job was different to what they wanted, although the job had been found through public employment offices. Regarding the question about if they registered again after their three-month period, 24.6% of women did re-register, while 43.7% did not re-register, which is over two times the number of re-registered women. The highest percentage (56.6%) of women replied that they did not re-register because they were not guaranteed employment.

      Did you re-register after the three months?
      

      Whether they re-registered or not	Frequency	％
      Yes	90	24.6
      No	160	43.7
      I am not eligible (because three months already passed by)	116	31.7

      Why did you not re-register?
      

      Reasons for not	Frequency	％
      Employment is	98	56.6
      I was already employed	16	9.2
      It is easier to find jobs placed by others than by employment agencies	6	3.5
      I did not have time	19	11.0
      others	34	19.7

      Amongst the respondents, 30.4% identified poor information provision as negative aspects of their counseling, 21.0% mentioned unprofessional job counselling, 17.5% said of officers' rude behaviour, 9.0% said that they felt embarrassed to bother others and to ask for help when the offices were crowded by other job seekers, 8.8% felt the same embarrassment because they had to expose their problems in public as the offices had no partitions between the various sections, and 7.6% mentioned shortage of counselling time.

      To improve the current practices, as much as 27.4% indicated the importance of detailed job information, 24.7% professional job counselling, 20.7% the necessity for the provision of a variety of job information, 18.1% kind and detailed counselling, and 7.9% increasing number of counsellors (with enough counselling time).

      Negative aspect of their counselling
      (The highest two are counted.)
      

      Uncomfortable things in their counselling	Frequency	％
      impoliteness	131	17.5
      lack if job information	227	30.4
      unprofessional counseling	157	21.0
      shortage of counselling time	57	7.6
      noisiness	18	2.4
      I have to read others' minds because the space is not separate.	66	8.8
      I have to read others' minds because it is crowded.	67	9.0
      Other	25	3.3

      Requirement to improve counselling effectively
      

      Requirement to	Frequency	％
      Professional counselors are needed	202	24.7
      Kind and detail counseling is needed	148	18.1
      The increasing number of counselors are needed (in enough counseling time)	64	7.9
      More detailed job information is needed	224	27.4
      A variety of types of jobs are needed	169	20.7
      Other	10	1.2

      Unemployed women wanted a variety of unemployment-related information as well as registration at the same time. Amongst 496 women registered as job-seekers, 94.4% (excluding no replies) indicated the necessity of the provision of unemployment-related information as well as job placement counselling, although the provision of other unemployment-related information accounted for only 32.3%. This represents that adequate one-stop services in public employment offices are not performed. Additionally, most of the cases show that varied and professional job information are not guaranteed, although 16.6% received information on vocational training and 11.0% received public work out of unemployment-related information.

      Did you receive any information, excluding job registration, from public employment offices?
      

      Whether you received any info. excluding job registration	Frequency	％
      Yes	153	32.3
      No	321	67.7

      Do you need any unemployment-related information excluding job placement?
      

      Whether you need any unemployment-related info	Frequency	％
      very much	233	50.9
      yes	204	44.5
      so so	20	4.4
      unnecessary	1	0.2

      Women who feel the necessity for counseling offices(or sections) specializing in form large majority (86.7%) (52.3% replied 'very much', and 34.4% 'yes'). This is in contrast with the replies from public employment offices which did not feel the necessity.

   3. Results from the survey targeting unregistered women

      Unemployed women who had not registered as job seekers numbered 220. As much as 48.2% of them mentioned that they had not registered because they had not known, and 23.3% because employment is not guaranteed; this formed the majority of the respondents.

      In particular, "I don't know" made up 50% of all replies, this confirms poor public campaigning and poor performance by public employment offices, and the necessity for strengthening their functions. Women who want to be registered as job seekers made up 71.6% and those who registered 19.6%, which means that 91.2% women indicated their intention to be registered in the future.

2. Policy Suggestions for consolidating functions of public employment offices - Upgrading significantly the functions of public employment offices, and establishment of independent women's counselling centers-

   1. Basic goals for public employment offices responsible for job placement should be established

      Why do women need the expansion and consolidation of functions of public employment offices! Since the offices have generally dealt with job placement for regular workers in their 20s and 30s, women have instead had to find jobs through paid private agencies.

      Thus, women job-seekers who form the highest number of job seekers are severely affected by this situation. The basic principle that public employment offices should take responsibility for job placement is to firmly be established. The ILO guideline for unpaid job replacement should be used as a reference.

      Additionally, NGOs should function as job placement centers in connection between public employment office and private agencies, without charging workers. The enacted Dispatched Law should also be reviewed.

   2. Independent women's counselling sections for new female labor force should be significantly improved

      It is very difficult for the new female labor force, recent graduates and women re-entering the labor force to find work. They have little job information and lack self-confidence, and find it difficult to look for work. Hence, public offices should expand their job campaigns, and their functions should be consolidated as follows;

      Firstly, there should be more recruiters and they should be managed adequately. Public employment offices should look for recruiters actively. In particular, employment offices should convince employers not to take into consideration women's marital status when recruiting.

      Secondly, more detailed and sensitive counselling is needed. Public employment offices should encourage female job seekers who lack self-confidence through promoting their self-confidence and providing them with detailed information on how to find work. Also, professional counselors should be employed in order to help women adapt to their workplaces and their management should be consolidated.

   3. A system of counseling for women should be established in public employment offices

      Counseling system for women are demanded by many women because they are aware of inadequate job placement services and poor provision of job information in public employment offices.

      Due to severe job segregation between men and women, a shortage of jobs for women, and the underevaluation of the female labor force, it is difficult for the offices to increase the number of female employment through ordinary management and occupational classification. Therefore, a system for independent management of the female labor force in all employment offices is desperately needed.

      Also, women counselors should be employed. In addition, recruiters for women should be guaranteed and managed systematically. Their job placement should be structured and announced on the government employment office's homepage (www.work.go.kr) in order to monitor long-term employment trends and recruitment characteristics, and to share all related information amongst job-seekers.

   4. The Management and monitoring of publicly paid private job agencies should be reinforced

      According to information provided by the Ministry of Labor, only 380 cases of unreasonable job placement were found, and only 24 cases of their illegal activities in job placement were found by labor-related offices in 1998.

      Under the current circumstances in which many women find their jobs through community publications many women continued to be cheated, and an increasing number of women are abused by private agencies who assist them in their employment process. Thus the offices involved should tighten their monitoring of private agencies.

   5. District-based employment offices should be opened, professional counselors should be allocated, and the functions of local governing bodies should be strengthened in close cooperation with national and public offices

      The survey shows the different functions of local government's public employment offices. One of the most essential services performed by local governing bodies is the provision of job placement and counselling services under the current uncertain and insecure economic crisis. It is highly desirable that women be provided with a variety of job information by local public employment offices.

   6. Professionalism and continuous counselling by public employment offices should be ensured

      Both the unemployed women and the job counselors themselves often feel the presence of two few counselors and of their lack of professional training. Interviews with job counselors show that counselors themselves face job insecurity since they are employed under one-year contracts.

      In some foreign countries, these jobs are stable and the officers are not moved to other government departments or other regions because their tasks are graded as highly professional and their performance is desirable. The number of counselors should be increased and their professionalism and long-term employment should be guaranteed in the very near future.

   7. Managing the function of the public employment office to guarantee the number of recruiters

      In terms of the types of occupations performed by women, they are usually insecure and in very small-size firms, the offices involved should therefore strengthen their supervision and monitoring of the activities of recruiters. In addition, recruiters for women should be guaranteed. Most desirable would be to activate all recruitment through public employment offices and to include a maximum of job information on its homepages: systemization is required.

   8. The current counseling atmosphere should be improved immediately.

      Based on survey results, many offices are very noisy. Their offices are shared with other sections. The counselling atmosphere is very noisy and disturbing to the unemployed women because the various offices are not separated. Women replied that they felt uneasy because they had to try to read others' minds. Clearly, the counselling atmosphere including face-to-face counselling should be improved.

   9. Distribution of job information should be immediately expanded to Working Women's Houses and other non-governmental organizations

      This is a matter of data processing and networking on issues of employment with government and NGOs cooperation under the current situation of mass unemployment. Sharing information facilitates job placement and upgrades the quality of counselors. This also promotes the effective development of softwares based on sharing information and experiences in the workplace.

      The government has already planned to direct its efforts toward the improvement of 'the establishment of cooperative systems between educational organizations and those related to job placement' in its project of data processing and distribution of job-related information. Its range should be immediately expanded to working Women's Houses and free job agencies.

Working Women Vol.16

October, 1998
A edition committee member of KWWA
Catoon : Yang Son Jang

Amidst the economic crisis, women workers' livelihoods are in a whirlwind of insecurity.
But, women workers have not given up. You can see more intense and stronger struggles for obtaining job security under these difficult conditions.

---

Special
ESTABLISHEING THE WOMEN'S UNEMPLOYMENT PREVENTION CENTER, A SHIELD OF THE FEMALE UNEMPLOYED FROM THE IMF
Activity diares of the Women's Unemployement Prevention Center in Pictures

VOICES FROM WORKPLACES
Structural Adjustment, Lay-off, and Labor Rights for Women

Feature
Uses of organic chemicals and women workers health

Park, Min-na's life story
Life stories of Unemployed Women Householders

EQUALITY COUNSELING
The two-time increase in the number of counselling cases

NEWS
ACTIVITIES OF KWWAU

This article is based on counselling undertaken by the Equal Rights Counseling Center of the Women Workers Association in Seoul, Inchon, and Masan & Changwon, and Pusan Women's Association between April and June.

During the last three months the total number of counselling cases was 323 (excluding re-counselling, counselling about seeking jobs), which are two times higher, compared to 161 during the first quarter of this year.

In regards to marriage status, unmarried women make up 30.5% and married women constitute 69.5% of the total number of counselling taken by the Equal Rights Counselling Centers, which means that married women represent a great majority. 77.4 % of their workshops do not set up trade unions.

In terms of the size of their companies, 18.6% work in firms with under 4 workers, 40.1% 5-9, 8.3% 10-29, and 33% over 30. Workers working in companies with less than 10 workers make up 33%. According to types in other sectors, 71.3% are involved in the manufacturing sector, 21.8% in the social and personal service sectors, 4.9% in the wholesale, retail, food and accommodation sectors, 1.6% in the finance and security sectors, and 0.3% in the warehouse and telecommunication sectors. In terms of types of occupations, 57.6% are engaged in production, 24.4% in service, 5.4% in sales, 4.7% in professional and skilled jobs, and 0.3% in administration.

Back wages account for 65.9% of the total number of counselling, which form a great majority. This figure has increased by 21.9% compared to 44% in this year's quarter. This shows that delayed payment in small size companies is the most serious issue. In addition, counselling on lay-off comprises 21.8%, discrimination such as unfair personnell assignment and discriminatory lay-offs comprises 5.5%, changes in working conditions such as wage re-scaling system, adaptation of irregular workers, changes in leave systems compruse 5.1%, and sexual harassment in the workplace comprises 1.4%. On occupational health and safety, only one counselling call was made.

Counselling regarding discriminationn represents the smallest percentage of all, but counselling has increased to 5.5% compared to 3.7% in first quarter of this year. Additionally, counselling on sexual abuses in the workplace decreased to 1.4%, relative to 6.8% in a quarter of this year.

The reason for the low rate of counselling regarding discrimination lies in the practice that women-concentrated departments are usually closed and/or they are replaced by temporary workers in the restructuring process, because directly discriminatory lay-offs targeting women workers will generate social protests.

However, this is not considered discriminatory dismissal. Further, a high number of counselling on actual discrimination is included under the category of lay-offs. Although sexual abuse has arisen in the workplace as reported in mass media, women receive a low rate of counselling about these abuse owing to the fear that they might be fired.

Counselling Cases by Type

1. Counselling on back wages is two times higher

   • No retirement pay is given after bankruptcy

     A counselee worked on publishing a community newspaper. Although the company went bankrupt one and half years ago, it still runs. Workers who retired one and half years ago, obtained a victory after suing the company in the office of Labor, but the company has not yet paid the workers. The counselee has not been paid even though she retired 6 month ago. The office is usually occupied by creditors (by the Equal Rights Counseling Center of Masan-Changwon Women Workers Association ).

   • Bills received instead of back wages are dishonored.

     I worked for a factory in Namdong industrial complex in Inchon. After the bankruptcy of the company, we selected workers' representative to make a petition. In the course, the company requested to cancel the petition paying bills for retirement pays, which totaled 20 million WON.

     When the representative cancelled the petition, a labor officer did not strongly hold him back just saying "Canceling our petition is not good idea. You are paid by bill." Two days later, the bills were dishonored. We have to obtain complicated documents to seize the company properties, but the documents related cannot not be issued because we canceled our petition. Further, we are unable to re-make the petition (by the Equal Rights Counseling Center of the Inchon Women Workers Association).

   • The runaway of a company owner after filing bankruptcy

     A factory owner in Soknam-dong, Inchon has delayed paying wages to 28 workers. The owner of the company and his brother ran away. Both of them ran away after filing bankruptcy. Although it is said that they are doing another business, no body knows where they are.

     Workers took turns watching the factory and selected a representative, but she was very tired of the unkind provision in other counselling centers when a worker visited us. They already made a petition in the Office of Labor. They demanded their back wages in a letter of attorney, but they did not know how (by the Equal Rights Counseling Center of Inchon Women Workers Association ).

2. Lay-offs

   • Women, first victim for lay-offs

     Since May 1, 1998, a shipbuilding company ordered 47 women workers (which compose 25% of the total workforce) to leave their posts and wait for further actions. This was done without any negotiation with workers and violated detailed principles for laying off workers. Recently, this company received smaller orders, but it had made 1 billion WON profits over the last 17 years since the 80s, so the order taken by the company was not regarded as just.

     The company had tried to make the workers resign from their jobs, but women workers would not follow. Later the company made a principle that all women workers except the certain number of women (like cooks and secretaries) regulated by laws, must be dismissed.

     Workers who were ordered to leave their post and wait for further actions set up a workers' group which was later developed into a trade union. This company established a policy that all workers ordered to leave their posts and wait for further actions for over 3 months, must be automatically fired (the Equal Rights Counseling Center of the Pusan Women's Association ).
     After the counselling, all of them were reinstated on June 12.

   • Only Married Women, replaced by irregular workers

     I heard a rumor that ten married women out of a total 106 workers are going to be changed into contractual workers. I don't know what to do? (the Equal Rights Counseling Center of the Pusan Women's Association).
     After the counselling was received, women workers' group in the company protested, so the company now is withholding on changes.

   • A company forcing all workers to hand in resignations and selectively accepting only some

     In late 1997, an electronic company in Inchon demanded all workers to submit resignations under the excuse of 'financial difficulties of the company'. The company selected only some workers and then operated its factory the next day. But, the company later demanded the workers who were forced to leave change the reason to 'personal problems'. The workers who did not comply with the company's request could not receive any dole because the company did not confirm that they were unemployed (the Equal Rights Counseling Center of the Inchon Women Workers Association ).

   • A company forcing all workers to hand in resignations under the reason 'personal problem'

     A furniture company asked workers to submit resignations during a morning meeting. Several hours later, the company called groups of workers and forced them to submit resignations. The company forced workers to write resignations not under the reason 'the company 's difficulty' but under the reason 'personal problem' (the Equal Rights Counseling Center of the Inchon Women Workers Association ).
     We provided consultation that it is 'against the workers' personal wills so it should be void'. Workers have raised objections and taken steps for making a petition.

   • Married women and workers whose partners work at the same companies, first targeted for lay-offs

     I worked at an insurance company for 16 years. Last May 6, the company laid off 20-30 married women and workers whose partners worked at the same companies. I submitted a resignation at the company's suggestion. I received one-year pay as resignation pay and severance allowance. I am wondering if I can apply for a dole? (the Equal Rights Counseling Center of the Pusan Women's Association ).

3. Counselling on Discrimination

   • No jobs given to married women and women workers

     I am a union member in a precision company in Changwon. The company has attempted to replace union members who work as clerical workers by temporary workers. Recently, the company has not given any works to married women and women workers who have been working long term. What shall I do? (the Equal Rights Counseling Center of Masan & Changwon Women Workers Association )

   • Suspending only women workers longer

     In a company in which the majority of workers are male in Changwon, a department was suspended. But, male workers were not affected, only the work of women were suspended for another 4 months. The Office of Labor did not accept women workers' petition concerning violation of the Equality Law and the Labour Standard Law. Could you let us know another way? (the Equal Rights Counseling Center of Masan & Changwon Women Workers Association )