Gyeonggi Regional Civil Servants Union "Reflect Inflation Rate in Next Year's Civil Servants' Salaries"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi Provincial Government Employees' Union has urged that the inflation rate be reflected in government employees' salaries.

This comes in response to the recent surge in prices of energy sources such as natural gas and crude oil, as well as grains like wheat, soybeans, and corn due to the Russia-Ukraine war, which has caused inflation to spread across all sectors. However, the government decided on next year's government employee salary increase rate without reflecting this inflation, prompting backlash.

On the 30th, the affiliated unions of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Government Employees' Union in the Gyeonggi region held a press conference at the Gyeonggi Provincial Council briefing room, stating, "Today, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration decided at the Cabinet meeting to set next year's government employee salary increase rate at 1.7%," and criticized it as "an absurdly low level far below this year's economic growth rate and inflation rate."

They continued, "Considering that next year's minimum wage has been set at 2,010,580 KRW (monthly equivalent), the salaries of Grade 9 and Grade 8 government employees next year are likely to be even lower than the minimum wage," and criticized, "The government and the Ministry of Economy and Finance are shifting a significant portion of the drastically reduced tax revenue, under the pretext of sound fiscal management, onto lower-ranking government employees who have silently dedicated themselves at the front lines with the public."

In particular, they stated, "Now it is time for the National Assembly to respond," and insisted, "The National Assembly should actively review next year's budget and ensure that government employee salaries reflect the inflation rate or economic growth rate."

These unions also demanded from the government and the National Assembly the institutionalization of a government employee salary inflation linkage system and the establishment and operation of the Government Employee Salary Committee as a legal entity.

Fourteen organizations participated in the press conference, including the Gyeonggi Provincial Integrated Government Employees' Union, the National Fire Safety Officials Union Gyeonggi Headquarters, the National Post Office Union Gyeonggi Regional Branch, and the Police Democratic Workplace Council delegation.

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