Ultimately... School Meal Cooks and Nutritionists Strike Starting Today

Intense Demands for Retirement Pension System Reform
Care Workers Announce Another Strike After Just 2 Weeks
Parents' Dissatisfaction Grows Amid Consecutive Strikes

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunju Lee and Jungyoon Lee] School cafeteria cooks and nutritionists in the Seoul area have launched a two-day strike starting on the 19th, demanding improvements to the retirement pension system. This comes just two weeks after elementary school care workers staged a general strike, causing disruptions to school meals in some schools.

The Seoul School Irregular Workers Solidarity (Seoul Hakbi Yeondae) held a "General Strike Resolution Rally" in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education and 11 district education support offices in Seoul on the same day, announcing the start of a strike to transition the retirement pension system. About 2,000 participants, mainly cafeteria cooks, took part in the strike. Seoul Hakbi Yeondae has been demanding that the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education switch the retirement pension from a Defined Contribution (DC) plan to a Defined Benefit (DB) plan, and after the breakdown of a working-level meeting held on the 16th, they decided to proceed with the two-day strike.

Elementary school care workers nationwide also held a press conference in the morning at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions auditorium in Jung-gu, Seoul, declaring a second care strike to withdraw the transfer of care classrooms to local governments. Although they had agreed the previous day with the Ministry of Education, teacher organizations, and parent groups to form an "Elementary Care Operation Council," the strike was decided upon as metropolitan and provincial education offices indicated they would not participate.

With strikes continuing one after another at schools, many parents have expressed frustration. On the same day, students at some schools, including Jingwan Elementary School in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, had lunch consisting of bread, milk, fruit, and packed meals. On a parent community cafe in Seocho-gu, a post appeared stating, "I hope strikes without clear explanations or consent from parents do not happen." Meanwhile, during the education public service strike in July last year, 1,679 cafeteria cooks participated, and substitute meals were provided at 79 out of 1,026 schools.

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