Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Yusef]

Hi
I have a qustion about how to report my school to the ministry of labor.
I went to their web site but I didn't really see anything.
My school didn't enroll me in the pension plan.
Yet they still withheld money from my paychecks.
They agreed to repay me the money they took, but not to match it with what would have been their half of the contribution.
In talking with people at the pension office they were just kind of like yeah, fraud is pretty common, you should try to get the money from them yourself.
So I'd like to file a formal complaint, I'm just not really sure how to go about doing so.
I'd really appreciate any help or advice anyone could share.
Thanks.

[ttompatz]

[wylies99]

Do you have your pay stubs?

[joyfulgirl]

A weird thing just happened to me at the pension office.

I went to file for my refund, since i'm leaving soon. I'm working for W Academy, have been since 2003. But, in April of this year, it was bought by new owners.

The old W, the old management, were having plenty of financial troubles, and have paid 20 months of the pension, but not 8. Tho, they 'swear' they'll pay that all up before I leave.

Nothing had been paid by the new owners either, since April 2006 to now. I'd told them about this on Friday, 'cause I'd called to check the status of payments, and yesterday they told me they'd 'paid my pension.'

So, I was assuming it'd be up to date from them today when I went to the office, but there was nothing there from the new owners. So, the pension office lady called them, and then let me talk to them and they said.."Oh, ha ha ha, we PAID your bank account, silly, not the pension office itself!" I just thought, "wha? Isn't that illegal, er something?"

I checked my bank account, and they've paid the $350,000 they took from me as pension payments, nothing "matching" those payments, as they're supposed to do, if they'd been paying the pension correctly.

The weird bit was the pension office lady didn't seem to care, or understand that this was wrong. She just looked at me, glassy eyed. I tried to make her understand, but her English wasn't great. Then she called the new owners again...and I thought..ah..she got it, she's gonna tell 'em they actually have to pay into Pension, not my bank account, and I should have about $700,000 for those 4 months, not $350,000. Plus, I mean, she has to tell them that legally, they're supposed to have been paying pension...

But then she handed the phone to me again, and the new owners were the same.."Joyfulgirl! Silly! Do you understand? We paid your bank account! They said that was okay!"

Talking to the new owners is like talking to a brick wall. The Pension Office lady seemed to be a little hazy, but geez, how hard is it to know the law, and tell the new owners what they're supposed to be doing.

It seems completely bizarro to me, tho. This is bizarro, right?

[wylies99]

Bizzaro world is opposite- Twilight Zone would be more like it.

[Yusef]

Thanks for your replies.
I think I am in kind of the same position as joyful.
I think I have gotten my point across to the pension people, but there isn't any decisive action on their part.
It seems like they are happy to just let the school keep giving them the run around and the school is determined to do so.
I am telling all the current employees of my school to go to the pension office and make sure they have really been registered though.
Does W Academy stand for Wonderland?

I'm starting to believe that franchise office passes out a handbook on how to screw teachers.

[joyfulgirl]

no, W is just W, not Wonderland.

i give up, really..talked to the boss when i went in and they said the most non-sensical things to me.."well, we don't have a contract with you," (wha??) "well, the old school stopped your account at pension office, so we couldn't pay." (wha??)

i let it go. i give up. 3 weeks, i'm outta this place...i'm so tired of stressing about the insanity this hogwan spouts.

i love korea, but this school has been so insane. or, this new management. W/Ewha Academy had financial troubles, sure, and that was bad enough, but these new owners seem to be from another planet.

i've actually been a big ol' doormat and bent over backwards for 'em...told 'em to keep my 600,000 deposit, told 'em i'd get my own ticket home, gave 'em notice instead of doing a 'runner,'...for some reason, i thought that'd mean they'd be as fair as they could be..but i guess that doesn't work.

they're being silly with pension. they're being odd every time i ask them when i will get my final payment before i leave, for sept.

arrggghhh