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The repeal of paid menstruation about the deterioration of working conditions.
- Repeal of paid menstruation leave represents an effort to ignore the social responsibilities for maternity.
The level of maternity bene5ts remains extremely low compared with international standards. Repealing menstruation leave without considering improvements in working conditions, shortened working hours, and expansion of leave benefits will only worsen working conditions and result in further deterioration of maternity protection.
Although the government has promised to institute a fetal examination leave system in exchange for repealing menstruation leave, no concrete measures or executive orders have been presented. In a situation where the Equal Employment Law is only being nominally applied and where the existing maternity protection system has not been solidified. it is impossible to accept further retractions of protection through the repeal of this leave.
In addition, the Ministry of Labor claims that companies avoid hiring women because of the burden of financing menstruation and maternity leaves.
Yet, the Ministry fails to consider that rather than maternity protection itself, it is the government's labor policies, which place the entire financial burden on companies, that is the cause of such company actions.
In the end, it is clear that the Ministry's proposal to make menstruation leave unpaid is aligned with the intent of business to worsen working conditions by repealing the monthly leave and instituting a system of flexible working hours, all under the name of strengthening international competitiveness. The idea that women's employment will be expanded by repealing menstruation leave represents only the intent of government to avoid its social responsibilities for maternity protection.
- Paid menstruation leave must not be repealed.
The responsibility for reproducing and rearing the young leaders of the next generation lies not on the woman as an individual, but on society as a whole.
For this reason, maternity protection must take all maternal functions, including their formation, realization, and decline, as targets for benefits. Because a woman's menstruation is directly related to maternal functions like pregnancy and childbirth, menstruation leave must without doubt be continued as a form of maternity protection.
Rather than repealing the very minimal measures of maternity protection for purposes of international competitiveness government and business must focus more attention on raising the working conditions of both male and female workers to international standards. Only when both male and female workers can be assured secure employment can international competitiveness be secured.
Hence, we absolutely can and will not accept a repeal of menstruation leave before we see improvements in working conditions, shortened hours, the elimination of low wages, guaranteed paid health leaves, and full employment equality for women.
- Plan of action for the women's labor movement
Women's labor movement groups (including the Korea Trade Union Congress. Korean Congress of Independent Industrial Unions Federation, Korean Women Workers Associations United, and the Labor Committee of the Korea Women's Associations United, which consists of the Inchon and Seoul Women Workers Associations and the Korea Women's Association for Democracy and Sisterhood) adopted a formal and collective resolution opposing the repeal of paid menstruation leave.
In addition, these groups presented the "Position of Women's Groups regarding the Repeal of Paid Menstruation Leave" to the National Assembly during the January l8 regular session of the Assembly's Labor Committee. They are currently awaiting an answer to their request for an interview with the Prime Minister.
In addition, public information flyers opposing the repeal of the leave have been made and distributed. Polls are also being planned in order to survey the extent to which the leave is being used, as well as workers' opinions regarding the necessity of having menstruation leave.
Other plans for a signature petition drive and a campaign to encourage the use of the leave are being considered. Labor unions and women's organizations will also gather complaints of cases in which the leave was requested but refused or was given in a biased manner.
These cases will be gathered and used to publicize company violations. Finally, a rally to oppose the repeal will be planned.
In these ways, women's labor movement groups plan to continue their collective struggle to oppose the repeal of paid menstruation leave. The women's movement remains resolved to intensify their fight even further in the case that menstruation leave is repealed.
Over 50 percent of women experience physical symptoms during menstruation, including vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pains, waist and hip pains, general discomfort, psychological fatigue and depression, and mental strain. Among these women, 25 percent feel pain severe enough to obstruct every day activity, and 40. 4 percent of women workers note abnormal changes in their menstruation after quitting their jobs.
Despite the fact that so many women workers experience such menstrual pains at work, menstruation leave is not currently being used freely. Women cite extra burdens to co-workers during leave, the dissatisfaction of managers, and the opportunity to supplement their low wages with the leave benefit as reasons for the low usage rate.
In a situation rn which low wages and high labor intensity make usage of menstruation leave difficult. it can be expected that even less, if any women will opt to use the leave if it is changed to unpaid leave granted only at the request of the worker.
In addition, when we consider that the leave is now being used by many women as a means of supplementing a wage level that only amounts to 55. 7 percent of male wages, making menstruation leave unpaid would amount to a cut in women workers' wages.
Finally, women workers now withstand harsh working conditions, including long hours sometimes exceeding 44 hours a week, work that requires standing, and alternative day and night work. As even the monthly and annual leaves are not being used freely, repealing menstruation leave would signify great losses for maternity protection