Gyeonggi-do to Introduce 'Step-Based Pay System' for Support Facilities for Female Violence Victims Next Year

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Province will introduce a step-based pay system next year to improve the treatment of workers at support facilities for female victims of violence, including sexual violence, domestic violence, and prostitution.

There are about 400 workers at 77 support facilities for female victims of violence in Gyeonggi Province.

Key support facilities include ▲ Domestic Violence Victim Counseling Centers ▲ Domestic Violence Victim Protection Facilities ▲ Sexual Violence Victim Counseling Centers ▲ Sexual Violence Victim Protection Facilities ▲ Prostitution Victim Counseling Centers ▲ Prostitution Victim Support Facilities ▲ Counseling Centers for Migrant Women Victims of Violence, among others.

Until now, these facilities have carried out practical social welfare tasks such as counseling, medical care, and legal support for female victims of violence. However, under the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family’s subsidy project operation guidelines, the standards for wage payments were very broadly defined, resulting in different wage payment methods by region and facility even among workers of the same rank and step, causing controversy over wage equity among workers.

Accordingly, since 2019, Gyeonggi Province has provided additional labor costs to gradually increase wages to the level of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s labor cost guidelines, and in 2021 conducted a wage status survey and a research project for the introduction of a step-based pay system to establish objective and consistent standards.

After more than seven rounds of consensus-building with facility representatives, the final decision to introduce the step-based pay system was made.

With the introduction of the step-based pay system, workers at support facilities for female victims of violence will basically be subject to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s social welfare facility labor cost standards. In addition, separate support for the four major insurances and retirement reserves, amounting to about 20% of the base salary, will reduce the financial burden on facilities and secure minimum operating expenses (20% of the national subsidy budget) for stable operation.

Furthermore, to encourage long-term service, a promotion system will be applied where workers who have served for more than three years will be promoted from social worker to senior social worker.

To prevent wage reductions due to the introduction of the step-based pay system, a wage compensation plan is included to maintain current wages if there is a decrease after applying the system. In particular, the application of the step-based pay system is expected to result in an annual wage increase of around 4 million KRW, fundamentally improving the treatment of workers.

A Gyeonggi Province official explained, "It is expected to enhance wage equity among workers by implementing a wage determination method based on equal pay for equal value work," adding, "It will also have a positive effect on improving the quality of services for victim support by promoting long-term service and enhancing expertise among workers."

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