School Non-Regular Workers Announce 6-Day Strike

Some Schools Forced to Provide Bread Instead of Rice
Hakbinojo Expects 60,000 of 170,000 to Join Strike

School irregular workers have declared a full-scale strike for one day on the 6th. It is expected that about 60,000 out of 170,000 school irregular workers nationwide will participate in the strike. Some elementary, middle, and high schools across the country are expected to provide substitute meals such as bread and milk at lunch.

The National School Irregular Workers' Union (Hakbi Nojo) held a press conference on the 2nd at the Hakbi Nojo office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, stating, "We are going on strike to end wage and status discrimination."

Since June, Hakbi Nojo has been negotiating with the management, composed of the Ministry of Education and 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education. Despite several rounds of negotiations, no agreement was reached.

School irregular workers, who make up 41% of all school staff, mainly handle meal service and care duties. Hakbi Nojo demanded ▲a real wage increase ▲the establishment of a consultative body to improve the wage system ▲improvements in the high-intensity labor and treatment in school cafeterias ▲and solutions for the livelihood of non-working employees during vacations.

Metropolitan and provincial offices of education are operating situation rooms to prepare for the strike and are devising countermeasures.

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