Widespread Violations of Labor Laws Found in 28 Local Governments

Despite various measures introduced to ensure job security for non-regular workers in the public sector, the practice of 'split contracts' remains widespread among local governments. On June 23, the Ministry of Employment and Labor reported that inspections conducted since March revealed a total of 113 violations of labor laws across 28 out of 30 local governments.

The inspections targeted local governments with a high proportion of contracts lasting between 11 months and less than a year, as well as those facing allegations of split contracts, based on findings from the Office for Government Policy Coordination's investigation into the employment practices of temporary public workers.

The inspections uncovered numerous instances of discriminatory treatment, wage arrears, and unpaid severance for temporary workers. One local government was found to have repeatedly issued formal short-term contracts while failing to pay approximately 2.5 million won in severance to a temporary worker who had effectively worked for over a year. Other municipalities were also found to have denied various allowances to 66 temporary workers, indicating discriminatory practices. Additionally, 10 cases were identified where sexual harassment prevention training was not conducted.

The Ministry highlighted the prevalence of short-term, repeated contracts as a significant issue, alongside the legal violations. All 30 institutions surveyed exhibited unreasonable employment practices, including the failure to implement short-term and repeated contracts or pre-employment screening.

According to the Ministry, 2,117 temporary workers across 27 institutions were on contracts lasting between 11 months and less than a year, with 1,833 of them on 364-day contracts. This indicates that the practice of split contracts continues to persist in the public sector.

The pre-employment screening system for non-regular public sector hiring, introduced in 2018 to allow such hiring only in unavoidable circumstances like temporary or intermittent work, was not adopted by seven institutions during the inspections. Furthermore, three institutions hired 240 temporary workers without undergoing the required pre-screening.

The Ministry has issued immediate corrective orders for the identified violations, stating that failure to comply will result in strict legal action. It also plans to conduct ongoing field guidance until unreasonable employment practices, such as split contracts, are improved.

The government intends to expand the scope of inspections. Based on reports from the online consultation center for unreasonable practices in the public sector, which has been operational since April, and findings from surveys on employment and wage conditions for non-regular public workers, regular inspections will be conducted in 200 public institutions, including public agencies and subsidiaries, in the second half of the year.

Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon stated, "The practice of split contracts in the public sector can no longer be tolerated under the guise of tradition. We will strengthen oversight of the public sector to eradicate unreasonable employment practices and create a workplace where workers' labor value is respected starting from the public sector."