Care services followed by meal service cuts... Consecutive strikes by education public workers

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[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] School cafeteria cooks and care workers in the Seoul area have announced plans to strike on the 19th and 20th. This comes about two weeks after a nationwide general strike by elementary care workers on the 6th.

A representative of the Seoul School Irregular Workers Solidarity Conference (Seoul Hakbi Yeondae) stated on the 18th, "We held a working-level meeting with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education regarding the retirement pension system but failed to reach an agreement, leading to the decision to strike after discussions." Seoul Hakbi Yeondae is an organization comprising the Public Transport Workers' Union Education Public Officials Headquarters, the National Women's Union, the National School Irregular Workers Union, and the Seoul General Union. It includes about 11,000 members such as care workers, cafeteria cooks, and nutritionists.

Seoul Hakbi Yeondae is in conflict with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education over the transition of the retirement pension system aimed at improving workers' treatment. The union has demanded that all members, most of whom are enrolled in the DC-type (Defined Contribution) retirement pension, be converted to the relatively stable DB-type (Defined Benefit) pension.

However, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education proposed a mixed plan of 50% DB-type and 50% DC-type to the union, stating that an agreement was inevitable. A representative from the office said, "Retirement pay is not an immediate budget expenditure," but added, "Considering that the total education public official personnel expenses amount to about 500 to 600 billion won out of the total Seoul city budget of 10 trillion won, and looking ahead to the budget in 10 years, the demand is excessive."

Elementary care workers, including members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National School Irregular Workers' Union, held a nationwide care classroom general strike resolution rally on the 6th in front of the Democratic Party office in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, urging improvements in working conditions such as the transition to an 8-hour full-time schedule. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The consecutive strikes by education public officials reflect structural issues. Education public officials, who are not civil servants, are covered by the Labor Standards Act, which guarantees collective bargaining and the right to strike. These public officials negotiate wages annually with the education office. Following a Supreme Court ruling in 2014 confirming that the superintendent of education is the employer of school irregular workers, collective bargaining with the Ministry of Education and the metropolitan education office has been conducted since 2017.

According to Ministry of Education statistics, about 160,000 education public officials with indefinite contracts currently work at schools. This is roughly one-third of the 498,000 teachers, including principals, vice principals, and teachers. There are 50 job categories including care, cafeteria, teaching affairs, administration, IT, and science lab assistants.

Although they are not subject to the seniority-based pay system, they receive long-term service bonuses and retirement pay. They also receive meal allowances, transportation subsidies, and holiday bonuses. Having been converted to indefinite contracts, they are effectively guaranteed retirement age. Within schools, they are known to have more influence than regular teachers or education administration staff who typically move every 2 to 4 years.

On the 6th, in front of the main gate of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, a press conference for the general strike titled "Full-time Conversion of Part-time Care Workers and Victory in Collective Bargaining," hosted by the National Women's Labor Union, is taking place. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

Strikes related to the improvement of education public officials' status lead to internal conflicts. On the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education website's citizen petition section, a post titled "Oppose the DB conversion of education public officials' pensions" has gathered over 2,500 signatures. The author pointed out, "While the number of subject teachers is being reduced annually and hiring is decreasing, only public officials' treatment is improving."

The solution is not simple. Ultimately, it comes down to budget, which is limited. In 2021, the education budget was reduced by 1.6 trillion won overall due to a 2.05 trillion won cut in local finance grants. It was the only sector to see a decrease among all budget categories.

Moreover, if a strike occurs, there are no alternative measures, which directly harms students and parents. The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations has called for an amendment to the Labor Union Act to include schools as essential public services, requiring essential personnel for care, meals, and safety during strikes. A representative from the federation said, "Schools have become battlegrounds for labor disputes rather than places of education, causing disruptions in school operations," and urged, "The Ministry of Education and metropolitan education offices must conduct responsible administration to reach agreements and prevent school disruptions."

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