Jeonbuk Branch of National Public Officials Union Condemns Provincial Office of Education for Violating Collective Agreement

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Geon-ju] The Jeonbuk branch of the National Public Officials Labor Union held a press conference at the provincial education office briefing room on the 9th, protesting that “the Jeonbuk Office of Education is blatantly violating the collective agreement made with the public officials union by unilaterally pushing forward promotions and transfers.”

Furthermore, they stated, “We filed an information disclosure request through proper procedures to verify the unfair personnel matters of the Jeonbuk Office of Education, but it was rejected with an absurd reason claiming it was ‘nonexistent information as it is information that must be fabricated,’” urging punishment of those responsible and implementation of the collective agreement.

The Jeonbuk Office of Education and the union had signed an agreement in 2016 including Article 21, Clause 5 of the collective agreement, which states that “a T/F team for improving the personnel system involving the labor union shall be formed and operated,” and that “when the superintendent improves the bonus point system applied to promotions and transfers of local public officials, it shall be discussed through the personnel system improvement T/F involving the labor union.”

The provincial education office also expressed anger, saying it consistently ignores or denies the agreement itself, such as unilaterally pushing forward a revision to extend the period during which a grade 6 public official can work at the main office from the current 5 years to 7 years.

Meanwhile, the Jeonbuk branch conducted an emergency survey targeting local public officials of the provincial education office from the 1st to the 3rd, and among a total of 1,136 respondents, 72.2% answered that they do not trust the fairness and transparency of personnel affairs at the Jeonbuk Office of Education. Regarding school assignment personnel, 55.1% of all respondents answered that it is conducted based on personnel requests or connections.

Kang Ju-yong, the union branch chief, stated, “We will correct the problems of the Jeonbuk Office of Education’s uncommunicative personnel administration, violations of the collective agreement, and passive bureaucratic behavior regarding the collective agreement.”