[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Hwang Du-yeol] Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education has started early payment of construction work fees and inspection of wage arrears at public construction sites for 12 days from the 17th to the 28th ahead of the Lunar New Year.
The 'Lunar New Year Inspection' is conducted annually to revitalize the local economy and prevent wage and equipment rental fee arrears for on-site workers.
The inspection targets 98 ongoing construction projects worth 500 million KRW or more under the 'Ordinance on Prevention of Wage Arrears in Public Construction,' and 65 service contracts worth 100 million KRW or more that are not comprehensive construction projects.
The Ulsan Office of Education encourages ordering departments to make early payments of subcontracting fees, wages, and equipment rental fees for construction work, and verifies whether the payments made to primary contractors have been passed on as subcontracting fees and construction workers' wages.
To revitalize the local economy, which has been stagnant due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, the office instructs that payments for public construction projects ordered by the education office be expedited until June, and guides companies that have not received advance payments to apply for them.
The payment period reduction operates by shortening the inspection period from within 14 days to within 7 days, the payment period from within 5 days to within 3 days, and early payment of subcontracting fees from within 15 days to within 5 days.
The education office operates an online reporting center on the city education office website for reporting wage arrears in public construction projects, and an offline reporting center at the Finance and Welfare Department's accounting team.
A city education office official said, “By promptly paying construction fees, we aim to revitalize the local economy and help construction companies and workers struggling due to COVID-19 have a somewhat comfortable Lunar New Year.”
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