"Even After 30 Years, Non-Regular School Workers Earn Half of Regular Employees"...Wage Negotiations Begin

"Discrimination in Both Base Salary and Allowances"
Call for Structural Reform of the Wage System

School non-regular workers have called for a reform of the wage system, stating that "the wage gap with teachers and public officials is widening day by day."

According to the National School Non-Regular Workers’ Solidarity Council (Hakbiyeondae) on September 11, the council began wage negotiations with the education authorities at the opening ceremony for the 2025 collective wage bargaining held on August 28. On September 9, simultaneous press conferences were held at provincial and metropolitan offices of education across the country, emphasizing the need to reform the wage system to address the discriminatory low-wage structure.

Yonhap News Agency

The council stated, "Through these negotiations, we urge the establishment of a wage system that corrects the discriminatory structure in which, even after 30 years of service, non-regular workers receive only half the pay of regular employees, and that reflects the fair value of the work performed by school non-regular workers, who are key to educational welfare."

The council’s wage negotiation demands include reforming the wage system to improve the low-wage structure for school non-regular workers, measures to support the livelihood of non-working staff during school vacations, and wage improvement measures for cafeteria staff who endure low pay and intense labor.

They argue that the differences in longevity allowances, holiday bonuses, and other bonuses between teachers and public officials versus education service workers are excessive. The base salary for education service workers does not even meet the minimum wage, and the differences in various allowances further deepen the wage gap with regular public officials and teachers. For example, the average annual bonus for teachers is 4.39 million won, whereas for education service workers, it is only 1 million won. In addition, teachers and public officials receive longevity allowances and additional longevity bonuses, but education service workers do not.

The council stated, "In the 2026 budget proposal, public officials’ wages will see the largest increase since 2017. However, school non-regular workers are still tied to base salaries below the minimum wage and face various discriminatory allowances, which is further widening the gap with regular employees. We strongly urge a resolution to this structural discrimination."

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