The Blue House reported that an investigation into wage payments for environmental workers, ordered by President Lee Jae-myung, uncovered 586 cases of underreporting and 561 instances of underpayment.
Kang Yu-jeong, the chief spokesperson for the Blue House, stated during a briefing at the Chunchugwan that President Lee was informed in February during a senior secretary meeting about local governments failing to ensure proper wage guarantees for environmental workers. In response, the president directed a thorough investigation and emphasized that any responsible parties should face strict penalties, while also ensuring prompt payment of any unpaid wages.
Kang explained that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety recently reviewed 2,462 cleaning service contracts issued by local governments over the past three years to verify whether environmental workers were compensated fairly. The review revealed 586 cases where appropriate wages were underreported in contract documents and 561 cases where the wages paid were less than the amounts specified in the contracts.
The investigation also identified numerous instances where required labor cost accounts were not maintained or procedures for confirming proper wage payments were not followed.
Kang noted that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety would inform local governments of the investigation results and request that any illegal or unfair practices identified be addressed through disciplinary actions against responsible individuals and penalties for the involved companies.
Kang further stated that to prevent similar issues in the future, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, along with the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, plans to collaborate on system improvements and enhanced management measures. She emphasized that the Lee Jae-myung administration will continue to work closely with local governments to protect workers' rights and ensure a fair contracting culture is established in the field.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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