Won Hee-ryong: "Expel 'Fake Team Leaders' Who Only Take Money Without Lifting a Hammer Even Once"

An Average of 3 Team Leaders Not Working at a Construction Site
Receiving Up to 18 Million Won Monthly Salary

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Wanyong] "While everyone is sweating and working, the team leader collects wages without even holding a hammer once." (Won Heeryong, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport)

The government has declared the removal of 'fake team leaders' who collect wages without actually working at construction sites, following the monthly fees for tower cranes.

On the 26th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a 'Status Check Meeting on Workers Who Receive Wages Without Working' at the office of the Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon (Seogyeongin) Reinforced Concrete Users Association inside the Seoul Specialized Construction Hall.

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong chaired the "Meeting to Inspect the Actual Conditions of Workers Receiving Wages Without Working" on the 26th and listened to issues from the construction industry field.
[Photo by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport]

The meeting, chaired by Minister Won Heeryong, was attended by representatives of specialized construction companies belonging to the Seogyeongin and Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Buulgyung) Reinforced Concrete Associations, where they discussed specific damage cases and countermeasures.

The Seogyeongin Reinforced Concrete Association raised concerns about team leaders who receive an average monthly salary of about 5.6 million KRW, with a maximum of up to 18 million KRW per month, but do not actually work.

The total amount paid per person from a single subcontractor averaged about 50 million KRW, with cases of up to 270 million KRW paid per person. They received salaries for an average of about nine months, and testimonies revealed that the number of people employed by one subcontractor at a single site averaged three, with as many as eight in some cases.

Additionally, attendees pointed out that construction unions in the metropolitan area and Buulgyung have a practice of forcing hiring at sites and deploying work teams. It was explained that these deployed work teams typically include team leaders who do not work but only receive wages.

A representative from Company A stated, "When a site is opened, the construction-related union first visits the general contractor’s office to notify the deployment of the work team and then unilaterally informs the subcontractor of the hiring, starting the work. In this process, the work team leaders often just stamp their attendance and rest in the office or disappear, and there are frequent cases of participating in rallies at other sites or obstructing work by non-union members."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to secure evidence such as attendance records of 'team leaders who do not work but only receive wages' and analyze the detailed status.

Minister Won Heeryong said, "The money should go to the real workers who honestly work at the site," and added, "We plan to take strong measures in consultation with related ministries to root out team and section leaders who do not work, including their origins and backgrounds."

He continued, "The government’s determination to practice the rule of law and fairness at the site of people’s livelihood is strong, so please do not fear retaliation and actively report all cases of damage."