90% of Gyeongnam Contract Teachers Complain of Job Insecurity... "Should Not Be Excluded from Transition to Educational Public Service Positions"

Discussion Held on the 28th for Employment Stability Measures
Labor Attorney Choi Young-joo: "Excluding City and Temporary Teachers from Conversion to Educational Public Officials is Discriminatory Treatment"

On the 28th, a forum was held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council to discuss measures for employment stability of part-time and fixed-term teachers.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] Over 90% of part-time and fixed-term public kindergarten teachers in the Gyeongnam region are expressing concerns about job insecurity. Some voices argue that the conversion of part-time and fixed-term teachers to educational public officials should not be excluded.

According to a working environment survey conducted on the 29th by the Gyeongnam branch of the School Irregular Workers' Union, 6.5% of the 123 part-time and fixed-term kindergarten teachers in the province answered that they often feel insecure about their employment.

25.2% responded that they frequently feel insecure, and 60.2% said they feel extremely insecure. This means that 91.9% of all respondents feel anxiety about their employment.

In response, on the 28th, a forum titled "2021 Gyeongnam Public Kindergarten After-School Program Part-Time and Fixed-Term Teacher Employment Stability Measures" was held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Council.

The forum was hosted by Gyeongsangnam-do Assemblyman Song Sunho and organized by the Gyeongnam branch of the National School Irregular Workers' Union.

Choi Youngju, a certified labor attorney at the Gyeongnam office of the Metal Workers' Union Legal Center, examined the legal legitimacy of converting part-time and fixed-term teachers and dedicated staff.

Attorney Choi pointed out, "Excluding part-time and fixed-term teachers, who were unable to file a discrimination correction request with the Labor Relations Commission, from conversion to educational public officials is discriminatory treatment," adding, "Essentially, they have the same qualifications, work experience, and abilities but are receiving unfavorable treatment."

The forum participants commonly agreed that such complex working and contract forms inevitably have structural contradictions.

Above all, part-time and fixed-term teachers face job insecurity and discrimination because their contracts are made annually by the school principal or the head of the single kindergarten.

In particular, even if there are unfair issues from the principal or teachers, the stress of enduring them due to fear of disadvantages in contract renewal inevitably affects the children.

Lee Kyunghui, Superintendent of Early Childhood Special Education at the Provincial Office of Education, stated, "The issue of converting after-school part-time and fixed-term teachers to after-school dedicated staff should be promoted in connection with various public official positions within the Provincial Office of Education," adding, "I think this is a matter that requires social consensus, so it is difficult to reach a conclusion here."