Jikgang Gapjil 119 "Frequent Unpaid Leave and Forced Annual Leave Due to COVID-19 Positive Cases"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] The civic group Workplace Bullying 119 announced on the 27th that it received 19 reports of unfair treatment arising from workplace responses to COVID-19 from January to March 20 this year. Additionally, it reported receiving as many as 110 reports related to unfair treatment via KakaoTalk during the same period.

Workplace Bullying 119 claimed that as COVID-19 cases have surged recently, incidents such as forced unpaid leave, mandatory use of annual leave, wage cuts, vacation rights deprivation, recommended resignation, and dismissals have sharply increased in workplaces, yet both President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol have been neglecting these issues.

They also stated that even the COVID-19 paid leave allowance, which is only a recommendation, was reduced from the previous daily support limit of 73,000 won to 45,000 won starting from the 16th, and the payment period was shortened from 7 days to 5 days.

It was pointed out that support measures are becoming increasingly inadequate, such as the living support fund for workers who had no choice but to take unpaid leave or use annual leave during COVID-19 quarantine periods due to company pressure, which has decreased by more than 50% compared to before.

Although the Presidential Transition Committee decided to establish a 'COVID-19 Emergency Rescue Headquarters' to support small business owners and self-employed individuals related to COVID-19 and to prepare an additional supplementary budget of 50 trillion won for loss compensation, the exclusion of workers from the support targets was also mentioned as a shortcoming.

Workplace Bullying 119 criticized, "COVID paid leave and paid leave allowances are enjoyed only by public institutions and large company employees, while most small and medium-sized enterprises force unpaid leave or personal annual leave."

They urged that companies should bear the costs arising from COVID-19 related test leave, vaccination leave, and quarantine leave, and that paid sick leave (sickness allowance system) should be made mandatory for all workers.

Park Seong-woo, a lawyer at Workplace Bullying 119, said, "The current Labor Standards Act, which does not guarantee paid sick leave, should be amended, and support measures should be promoted to introduce related systems in workplaces without a paid sick leave system, thereby establishing legal and institutional grounds to create a 'society where people can rest when sick.'"