Migrant Workers Hold Rally at Seoul Station Plaza Urging Rights Protection

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] On the 18th anniversary of the implementation of the Employment Permit System, a rally urging the protection of migrant workers' rights was held on the 21st.

About 400 members from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Migrant Workers' Union, and Migrant Workers' Equality Solidarity gathered at Seoul Station Plaza for the "Migrant Workers' Action Day" event, calling on the government to expand employment for migrant workers and guarantee labor rights.

They stated, "Since COVID-19, labor shortages in manufacturing and rural fishing villages have intensified, leading to increased demands for expanding migrant worker employment, but the government is not discussing long-term and fundamental measures for migrant workers."

They further demanded, "Guarantee the freedom of workplace transfer for migrant workers and implement a labor permit system that grants workers?not employers?the right to work in Korea."

One migrant worker said, "Problems such as the inability to freely change workplaces persist," adding, "We want a system that promotes equality, employment stability, and fair and humane treatment and working conditions."

The Employment Permit System, under which the government issues work visas to foreign workers upon employers' application, was first discussed in 1995 and implemented on August 17, 2004.

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