"Public Petition to Stop Regularization of Public Corporation Employees Surpasses 150,000... Escalation of the War of the Eul"

Opposition Spreads Among Existing Regular Employees, Non-Regular Workers, and Job Seekers

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] The controversy sparked by the direct employment of security screening personnel by Incheon International Airport Corporation is spreading. The number of people agreeing to the Blue House's national petition titled "Please stop the regularization of non-regular workers in public enterprises" has surpassed 150,000. The conflict between the underdog parties is intensifying.

According to the Blue House national petition board on the 24th, the petition titled "Please stop the regularization of non-regular workers in public enterprises" had 156,598 participants as of 10:30 a.m. that day. The petition was posted just one day ago.

This petition was triggered when Incheon Airport Corporation decided to directly employ 2,143 non-regular workers, including 1,902 security screening personnel. There are concerns, especially among job seekers, that these individuals could enter the so-called "dream workplace" of Incheon Airport Corporation without competition.

◆Why direct employment? = The regularization of non-regular workers at Incheon Airport began in earnest in May 2017 when President Moon Jae-in visited Incheon Airport and made a promise. At that time, President Moon stated, "Jobs related to safety and life will definitely be converted to regular positions." Incheon Airport was a workplace where 85% of the total workforce were non-regular workers, accounting for 9.3% of all non-regular workers in public institutions.

Subsequently, the corporation decided through three rounds of agreements among labor, management, and experts that three sectors directly related to public safety and life would be directly employed, while the remaining personnel would be converted to regular employees of subsidiaries. The direct employment targets are 2,143 workers in three job groups: airport fire brigade (211), wildlife control (30), and passenger security screening (1,902).

Among these, the 1,902 security screening personnel, who are the subject of controversy, were initially temporarily assigned to a subsidiary (Incheon Airport Security) and were to undergo a direct employment transition process later. This is because Incheon Airport Corporation, whose main businesses are the aviation industry and real estate leasing, cannot legally employ special security guards who are allowed to carry weapons.

However, after legal review, the corporation decided to directly employ these personnel as "Cheongwon Police" (special security police). An official from Incheon Airport Corporation explained, "Regarding special security positions, legal amendments are required, but it is not easy and there were also criticisms that it might be unconstitutional. As an alternative, we decided to proceed with converting them to Cheongwon Police, which has been suggested as a solution."

◆Opposition from regular workers, non-regular workers, and job seekers = The problem intensified after this. Existing employees of Incheon Airport Corporation, non-regular workers undergoing the regularization process, and job seekers all raised issues. Existing employees are bewildered by the sudden appearance of about 2,000 'colleagues' at once. They especially oppose the corporation's decision to directly employ them as Cheongwon Police, breaking the labor-management-expert agreement.

A union official from the airport corporation said, "The original agreement was to temporarily assign them to the security subsidiary and then pursue direct employment through legal amendments, but the corporation reversed this without agreement." He added, "If employed as Cheongwon Police, there could be command chain issues, and we plan to file a constitutional complaint on the grounds of infringement of the constitutional right to hold public office." They also plan to raise issues regarding violations of equality rights, arguing that direct employment candidates may not go through a fair recruitment process.

Non-regular workers also express significant dissatisfaction. Among the 1,902 direct employment candidates, those hired after the official announcement of the regularization policy on May 12, 2017, should be recruited through open competition, which could result in some candidates being rejected. In this regard, the Security Screening Labor Union plans to hold a press conference to demand remedial measures.

In this process, job seekers' opposition has also grown. Especially regarding the direct employment controversy at Incheon Airport Corporation, unverified conversations on social networking services (SNS) claiming "became regular employees without effort" have spread on online communities, fueling job seekers' anger. The posts imply that one could earn an annual salary of 50 million KRW without much effort.

◆"No concerns about reduced recruitment scale or excessive wages" = As the direct employment issue spreads socially, Incheon Airport Corporation is feeling embarrassed. First, the corporation views the circulating "50 million KRW annual salary" claim on SNS as unrealistic.

According to Incheon Airport Corporation, the starting salary for the 2,143 direct employment candidates is about 35 million KRW, the same level as other workers who moved to subsidiaries. Including a 3.7% wage increase and welfare benefits, the corporation estimates it will be around 38 million KRW.

An official from Incheon Airport Corporation said, "The wage table for those to be directly employed is aligned with the subsidiary level through labor-management-expert agreement. The current salary is about 35 million KRW annually, and even with a 3.7% wage increase and welfare benefits, it will be around 38 million KRW."

Of course, there are concerns that those directly employed may demand higher wage increases through future wage negotiations. A security screening union official said, "Since the wage level is aligned with the subsidiary level through labor-management-expert agreement, the 50 million KRW annual salary claim is groundless." He added, "There may be demands for wage increases in the future, but over time, they will naturally integrate with existing employees and proceed in a reasonable direction."

There are also concerns that the rapid increase in direct employment numbers could lead to a decrease in new hires due to the total wage system applied to public institutions. The corporation responded, "Security screening personnel are a separate job group, so there is no possibility of reducing the scale of existing managerial recruitment."

The biggest issue is the fairness of recruitment. Unlike the corporation's open recruitment, which requires high qualifications, direct employment candidates secure job stability without going through such a process, raising concerns about fairness. In response, the corporation decided that those hired after the official regularization policy announcement on May 12, 2017, will be recruited through open competition. The number of such hires is about 800 to 900.

An official from Incheon Airport Corporation said, "Those hired after the official announcement of the regularization policy in May 2017 are recruited through open competition, which general job seekers can also apply for. Since those hired after that date have the opportunity to enter through competition, there should be no significant fairness issues."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.