 |
| This photo taken on Jan. 21 shows the inside of a vinyl greenhouse that was being used as a dormitory for foreign workers at a farm in Pocheon, Gyeonggi Province. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hun |
By Lee Hyo-jin
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said Tuesday that migrant workers will be allowed to change their workplaces if their employers provide substandard accommodation such as makeshift dormitories built in vinyl greenhouses.
In cooperation with related government bodies, the ministry announced a set of measures designed to improve the living conditions of foreign nationals working in Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS).
The measures follow the death of a Cambodian worker last December, which highlighted the substandard living conditions suffered by foreign workers.
Poor dormitories will be included in the list of reasons allowing employees to switch their workplace, while business owners caught providing inappropriate housing will be banned from hiring foreign workers.
Currently, migrant workers are permitted to change their workplace up to five times during their near-five-year-stay in the case of contract termination or expiration. They may also request to end their contracts for "external" reasons such as assault and sexual harassment by employers, and delays in payment.
But the measures have been criticized for being insufficient in fully protecting the workers from unfair treatment and abuse by business owners.
In this regard, the labor authorities said opportunities for migrant workers to look for a new job will be expanded in order to prevent mistreatment and human rights violations at workplaces.
Under the new measures, reasons for which foreign workers can change their workplace include: unsuitable accommodation; being laid off during off-seasons at farms and fisheries; physical or mental illnesses requiring over three months of leave of absence; and fatal industrial accidents (to others) at the workplace due to safety regulation violations by employers.
In addition, sexual harassment by co-workers or employer's family members is a reason for an immediate change of workplace, which will be processed within three days from the request.
Starting Tuesday, the ministry will allow a six-month preparation period for farm and fisheries owners to improve the living conditions of foreign workers to cover any lack of time and resources to immediately provide new housing. Those who plan to build brand new dormitories will be given one year.
Business owners who fail to offer suitable housing within the period will be banned from employing foreign workers.
Also, under the new measures, migrant workers at farms and fisheries will be eligible to register for the national health insurance program upon entering the country. Currently, they have to wait six months after arrival in order to individually subscribe to the National Health Insurance Service, but not as job-based subscribers if their employers in the farming and fishing industries are not registered as businesses. During the first six months after entry, their access to healthcare services is currently limited.
"Now that foreign workers have become an essential part of the country's agricultural and fisheries sector, it is necessary to improve their working environment while promoting the coexistence of business owners and migrant workers," said Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap in a statement.
"We will actively pursue our plans through further discussions with related government bodies," he added.
