Ministry of Education: "Dismissal of Jeon-gyo-jo Dismissed Teachers Must Be Canceled"…Official Letter Sent to Education Offices

Kwon Jeong-o, chairman of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo), and union members are shouting "Banzai" as they leave the courtroom after the Supreme Court ruling on the appeal trial to cancel the notification of the non-legal labor union status held on the 3rd at the Supreme Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyeong aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] On the 11th, the Ministry of Education sent official letters to 14 city and provincial education offices (excluding Incheon, Jeju, and Sejong, where there are no dismissal targets) informing them that "it is necessary to cancel the dismissal orders for 33 full-time union officials of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo)."

This is a follow-up measure after the Supreme Court ruled on the 3rd that the designation of JeonGyoJo as an illegal union was unlawful and invalid, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor revoked the illegal union notification for JeonGyoJo on the 4th.

Previously, after JeonGyoJo was designated as an illegal union in 2013, the Ministry of Education ordered the return of JeonGyoJo full-time officials, but dismissed 34 teachers in 2016 for failing to comply. Among them, one teacher retired during the illegal union lawsuit period and was excluded from reinstatement.

Prior to the Ministry of Education's letter, the Jeonbuk Office of Education was the first in the country to cancel the dismissal orders for three teachers who were dismissed due to the illegal union notification of JeonGyoJo and issued appointment orders on the 8th.

It is known that the other city and provincial education offices are also preparing their own procedures to cancel the dismissal orders.

The Ministry of Education also stated that it is forming a consultative body with JeonGyoJo to prepare specific measures regarding follow-up actions such as wage compensation and career recognition for reinstated teachers, relief for JeonGyoJo teachers who suffered personnel disadvantages such as suspension or disciplinary action besides dismissal, and the resumption of collective bargaining.

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