Seoul City Wage Arrears and Dismissal Relief... 22,000 Worker Consultations Last Year, 30% Increase in One Year

Seoul City Reports 30% Increase in Counseling Cases Over One Year... Conducted at 18 Worker Support Centers
Consultations on 'Dismissal/Disciplinary Actions' and 'Unemployment Benefits' Rise Compared to Previous Year Due to COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 27th that it conducted over 22,000 labor consultations last year to protect workers' rights and provide relief for damages, covering issues such as wage arrears, dismissal and disciplinary actions, working hours, holidays, and leave.

The consultations, held at 18 labor support centers including the Seoul Labor Rights Center and district and regional centers, were most frequently related to 'wage arrears.' Due to the impact of COVID-19, consultations regarding 'dismissal and disciplinary actions' and 'unemployment benefits' also increased.

Of the total 22,366 cases, more than half were directly related to workers' livelihoods, including wage arrears (19.3%), dismissal and disciplinary actions (18.9%), and working hours, holidays, and leave (17.4%). These three categories accounted for 55.6% of all consultations. In particular, consultations related to 'dismissal and disciplinary actions' and 'unemployment benefits' increased by 4.7% and 5.2%, respectively, compared to the previous year due to the impact of COVID-19.

Consultants were predominantly non-regular workers, including daily workers, fixed-term workers, dispatched and outsourced workers, and general temporary workers, accounting for 58.6%. By 'occupation,' simple labor jobs such as cleaning, security, and parking management had the highest proportion at 27.2%, and by 'industry,' workers in 'facility management,' which includes service companies such as cleaning, security, and parking management, accounted for the largest share at 17.8%.

By employment type, regular workers most frequently consulted about 'disciplinary actions and dismissal' (23.6%), while non-regular workers most often consulted about 'wage arrears' (22%). By age group, non-regular workers accounted for more than twice the proportion of regular workers among those in their teens and twenties and those aged 50 and above, with 'wage arrears' consultations being the most common. Wage arrears consultations accounted for 27.9% among those in their teens and twenties and 19.4% among those aged 50 and above. For those in their thirties and forties, consultations related to disciplinary actions and dismissal were the highest at 21%. Workers at workplaces with 30 or more regular employees mainly consulted about 'dismissal and disciplinary actions' (27%), while those at workplaces with fewer than 30 employees primarily consulted about 'wage arrears' (24.6%).

Additionally, consultations related to 'workplace harassment' were not high overall but have been increasing annually. Workplace harassment consultations rose from 3% in 2019 to 4.7% in 2020. By occupation, 'office workers' and 'professionals' had the most consultations, and by industry, healthcare and facility management sectors were prominent. Furthermore, consultations from regular workers (7.4%) were nearly twice as many as those from non-regular workers (3.7%), and workers at workplaces with 30 or more employees (8.2%) consulted almost twice as much as those at workplaces with fewer than 30 employees (4.9%).

By gender, male workers accounted for 51.9% of consultations and female workers 48.1%, but COVID-19 related consultations were somewhat higher among female workers (54.1%) than male workers (45.9%). This indicates that female workers have been more exposed to unfair situations such as employment insecurity and deteriorating working conditions due to COVID-19.

Among male workers, consultations about wage arrears (20.3%) were significant, while female workers most frequently consulted about disciplinary actions and dismissal (19.6%). Both men and women had many consultations related to working hours, holidays, and leave during COVID-19 (men 28.2%, women 25.8%), with female workers also having a similar proportion of consultations about disciplinary actions and dismissal (21.6%).

The average monthly wage was approximately 2.56 million KRW for male workers and about 2.13 million KRW for female workers, with a slight increase for female workers compared to the previous year. The wage gap between men and women was also found to have narrowed to about 430,000 KRW.

Seoul City operates a total of 21 labor rights protection institutions, including the 'Seoul Labor Rights Center' and 16 district centers (Gangdong, Gangseo, Gangbuk, Gwanak, Gwangjin, Guro, Nowon, Dobong, Mapo, Seodaemun, Seongdong, Seongbuk, Yangcheon, Eunpyeong, Jungnang, Jung-gu) as well as regional comprehensive labor support centers (Downtown, Southeast, Northeast, Southwest regions) to protect labor rights and promote welfare for working citizens.

Han Young-hee, Seoul City's Director of Labor, Fairness, and Coexistence Policy, said, "Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, cases of labor rights violations are increasing in unstable employment environments such as non-regular workers and small-scale workplaces. Seoul City will continue to provide support so that workers facing difficulties can quickly receive relief and reclaim their rights."

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