Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

Have you ever been on the KTX?

KTX babes have been on a hunger strike recently.

Yes, they started the strike a while ago, but I hadn't heard about it until today.

(I couldn't find any other information using the search function, so, there's the link.)

[Captain Corea]

They've been pissin' and moaning for months now at Seoul Station.

They were hired for the KTX launch - they were temporary workers - they were not renewed - what's the big deal? Move on and get a new job.

[blaseblasphemener]

I read the whole article. It seems clear that they have very valid complaints. Considering it is Corea, it's not really a stretch to believe that gender discrimination and sexual harrassment are rampant at Korail. I predict that the girls win this fight.

[pdxsteve]

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

"The KTX has been a money-losing boondoggle for KORAIL since its inception."

Is that right? Can you or someone provides links, references or quotes to that?
The last I heard was that demand was so high they had to put prices up a year or so ago.

"I don't blame them for cutting back on staff to save money."

If, by talking about staff cutbacks, you're talking about the quoted issue of 'secure employment' ie. the fact that they haven't had the permanent employment contracts that they were assured would be signed within one year (and that seems now to be nearly two years), then that's great that you don't blame them, but obviously someone needs to make clearer to the workers the need for their work conditions to be so sexist and quite simply dangerous:

"KORAIL�s continued refusal to meet the union�s demands for gender equality, safe working conditions and secure employment have led union leaders to engage in desperate measures to expose the unjust and unequal conditions under which they are forced to work. After exhausting every tactic, 31 union members began a hunger strike on July 2, 2007. As the hunger strike surpasses its 14th day, many union members have been rushed to the hospital."

[amo_jh]

i don't get these temporary workers in korea. a short while ago i heard parttimers sieged a department store causing the company to loose millions. why can't they just accept the fact that they are hired 'temporarily' and can be fired or renewed as mgment likes?

[pdxsteve]

[Drunken Monkey]

The current issue with temporary staff has been a long time coming, and to be honest is something that is needed. Since the financial crisis in 97 Korean companies have been taking advantage of temporary staff to the extent that some people were working for a company for several years as a temp. The company used to benefit from having to pay less social charges but this benefit has largely gone.

The thing that gets me is that the Korean companies have read the new law which very basically states that any temporary staff who work for more than 2 years will become a permanent member of staff. The Korean companies have read this and have started to lay off their temps.

The thing that the companies are missing is that this should encourage them to plan and recruit better, I mean if you have 500 temps working for you there is a good chance that you really need a few permanent staff.

In addition to all this the Korean companies appear to have missed the point that this new law, which came into affect on the 1st July this year for larger companies, states that this is not a retrospective law. Therefore you could have in theory have got a temp to sign a new 1 year contract on the 30th June this year, give them a new contract next June and they wouldn�t become permanent until June 2009.

However why bother reading the whole document when you can make a knee-jerk reaction!! I have even had to have words with our HR manager who put forward the proposal that from now on we will only recruit temps for a maximum of 1.5 years. Head in the sand yet again!

[Ethan Allen Hawley]

pdxsteve wrote:

"What, specifically, are the complaints about gender equality and safe working conditions? All I've seen are just general complaints with no specifics."

re: gender equality -
"Of those train attendants who are irregularly employed under outsourcing agreements, the majority are women. In contrast, their male counterparts who perform comparable duties are directly employed by KORAIL as �team leaders.� Simply by being women, KTX train attendants are subject to lower wages, harsher working conditions, and heightened job insecurity. In addition, women workers face the perpetual threat of dismissal if they speak out against unfair conditions and sexual harassment in the workplace."

pdxsteve, I agree there's not much specific information on the dangers or the unsafe working conditions involved in working there, unless it's a vague reference back to sexual harassment.

I was hoping someone with better Korean language skills may have read the mainstream (Korean language) media and found and posted more information. It would be interesting to know more exact specifics, especially with the obviously already large support from with Korean society growing, even though this is obviously still not quite enough:

"According to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, KORAIL�s treatment of KTX female train attendants is a clear example of gender discrimination and a basic violation of human rights. The National Human Rights Commission has strongly recommended that striking KTX women workers be granted fair and just conditions of employment. The South Korean Minister of Labor, the legal community, various media outlets, 500 university professors, 300 members of the literary community and a wide cross section of NGOs including the Korea Women�s Association United, Lawyers for Democratic Society, People�s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Korea Women Workers Association United, and the People�s Coalition for Media Reform have also called upon KORAIL to reinstate the striking workers as directly hired employees, not as contingent workers contracted through a third party. However, KORAIL continues to disregard this overwhelming public outcry."

[RedRob]

"Demand was so high they had to put prices up"
Doesn't demand and supply work the other way?>>High demand, sell more product>greater economies of scale=higher vol. but cheaper prices?

[Typhoon]

They cut back all the other trains. Try getting a 1st, or 2nd class train these days. They go out like once an hour and are booked solid. From what I have heard people are not too happy. The first class train cost 12 000 Won from Daejeon to Seoul and the seats were big and comfortable. The KTX costs 24 000, takes 50 min and the seats suck. A lot if people prefer the old trains, but the gov't cut the schedules so people have to take the KTX or get lucky in getting a seat on the old trains. So yes demand is up, becuase they are almost the only option these days. Not because people are lovin' the KTX, because it is all there is now.

[huffdaddy]

[Captain Corea]

The problem is, the Gov screwed the pooch with this new Temp Workers law. They tought they'd be protecting them, but in the end they're hurting them more (E-Land). Goes to show what happens when you put inexperienced people from Uri-dang in control.

What they should have done was restricted temp workers to certain industries. Farming, fishing, construction. Those are industries that NEED temp workers.

Grocery stores do not (and I managed one for 8 years).

The main problem is, Korean companies have troubles firing under-performing workers. There are very few laws that allow a company to do so. So, they are scared to take on a large inflexible workforce in a service section.

[GoldMember]

Same thing happened in Australia. The Labor government in collusion with the unions made it very very hard and expensive to fire people. As a result companies were loath to take on more full time employees. Full time jobs dried up and temporary, casual, and part time jobs boomed. The same in France. When the laws were changed in Australia, the labor market went back to normal.
Fact is when you make laws that say you can't fire incompetent employees, or it costs a fortune, two things happen.
Incompetent cretins keep their jobs, just look at the bus drivers as an example, and
Competent people can't get jobs.
Korea is a "sort of" free enterprise country, lots of laissez faire, whilst also very heavy regulated.
I knew a very smart girl who worked at Microsoft. All the female workers were temps (some 7 years!), and the males were on staff.

[Captain Corea]