Naju City Council Discusses Appropriate Standards for Foreign Seasonal Workers' Labor Costs

Published 24 Feb.2023 17:01(KST)

The Naju City Council of Jeollanam-do (Chairman Lee Sang-man) announced on the 24th that it held the "2nd Naju City Council Legislative Debate" in the main conference room of Naju City Hall to establish "appropriate standards for wages of foreign seasonal workers."

Naju City Council held the "2nd Naju City Council Legislative Debate" on the 24th in the main conference room of Naju City Hall to discuss "Establishing Appropriate Standards for Foreign Seasonal Workers' Labor Costs."
[Photo by Naju City Council]

The debate began with a keynote presentation by Kim Seong-gi, head of the Agricultural Policy Division of Naju City, followed by opinion presentations from Song Geon-gyo, assistant manager of Naju Pear Horticultural Cooperative, then Kim Young-wook, secretary-general of the Chamber of Agriculture and Fisheries, Kim Byung-sik, president of the Naju Pear Research Association, and Kim Dae-yeop, CEO of Daeseong Service Company. Time was also allocated to listen to various opinions from pear orchard farmers.

Kim Seong-gi, head of the Agricultural Policy Division, who delivered the keynote presentation, announced key points regarding the current government’s policy direction, the status of Naju City’s foreign seasonal worker policies, and future plans.

Song Geon-gyo, assistant manager of Naju Pear Horticultural Cooperative, explained the introduction and operation plans for foreign seasonal workers that the cooperative has been promoting since last year.

He also proposed that to solve the chronic labor shortage in rural areas, a stable labor supply is necessary, and for that, the introduction of a stay-type and public-type seasonal labor system is needed.

Kim Young-wook, secretary-general of the Chamber of Agriculture and Fisheries, explained the factors causing the rise in wages for foreign seasonal workers and freely spoke about the difficulties faced by farmers as a result.

Kim Byung-sik, president of the Naju Pear Research Association, agreed on establishing appropriate wage payment standards that allow mutual coexistence among farmers, workers, and service companies, continuing the open discussion.

Lastly, Kim Dae-yeop, CEO of the service company ‘Daeseong,’ proposed improvements to the working conditions of foreign seasonal workers based on his direct experiences in the field.

Choi Moon-hwan, a member of the Naju City Council who chaired the legislative debate, explained, “We have formed and are operating a ‘Research Group for the Introduction of Foreign Workers in Rural Areas’ to seek solutions to the rural labor shortage. As part of this, we organized this event today to openly discuss solutions and issues related to foreign seasonal workers.”

Meanwhile, the Naju City Council held its first legislative debate of 2023 on the 6th of last month, presenting a vision for the future of local councils and creating a space to freely listen to citizens’ opinions and candid suggestions from experts working in various fields, which received much positive response from the public.