Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cb]

Hello.

We have only been teaching in Korea for about two weeks, and we urgently need some help/advice/contacts.

Before we arrived in Korea we were assured (more than once) by our new employers that opting into the national health insurance scheme was optional - we were told if we had health insurance from our home country that covered us in our workplace here then that was sufficient and we could opt out of the national scheme. THIS IS ALSO IN OUR CONTRACT. We had done our research and according to the EFL Law website this was correct ... We have found out since arriving here that the law regarding this issue has changed, so from January 2006 onwards it's compulsory to opt INTO the government health scheme - no matter what. Some of our colleagues have rung the national health insurance scheme office and double checked - apparently this is true.

So, we are now in the position that we've paid around $2,000 for ultra-comprehensive insurance cover from our home country, and we're also going to have to pay about $1,000 out of our pay packets to satisfy the national scheme. We are really annoyed about this.

I am aware that if the law has changed, then of course our employer will have to take the percentage from our pay packets to cover their arse. (We are also Government employees, so they will have to have their books looking tip top.) However, my beef is that this was not our fault - we were misinformed throughout the entire process (and despite our best efforts, we never came across anything informing us of the law change). So, I am demanding that this money taken from our pay packets be compensated to us in another form. I don't care how and where they get the money from, if they have to take the health insurance money from our pay packets, I want the same amount coming back to us from somewhere else.

So ... my question is - can anyone please refer me to anyone/where for advice on this? What legal backing do I have on this matter? Is there any legislation I should familiarise myself with in preparation for a showdown? (I have tried repeatedly, but I cannot log in on the EFL Law website forums, so I can't try there.) I would like to know what recourse I have before I meet with the big boss - which could be any day, hence the urgency.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[ChuckECheese]

Nothing can override the new law so basically you're stuck with the double coverage. So if that's the case, you have no option but to sue your employer for misinforming you if your boss is not willing or unable to scoop up your loss, but it could get messy. You have a good case since you have it down in your contract.

However, I would think that you should first talk to and negotiate with your boss first though.

[Khyron]