Disagreement Between Dorm Supervisor and School Over Rest Pass
Kitchen Also Faces Meal Disruptions for a Month Due to Similar Issue
Since early last month, a tent has been set up in a corner in front of the dormitory of a high school in Gangwon-do. This tent remains empty during the day, but around 1 a.m., the principal of the school enters and stays there until 6 a.m. The reason the principal has been enduring this uncomfortable lifestyle for over a month is due to labor contract issues involving the dormitory supervisors (dormitory managers) working at the school dormitory.
Tent installed in front of the girls' dormitory at A High School in Gangwon-do[Image source=Yonhap News]
According to a Yonhap News report on the 14th, this situation began when the dormitory supervisors working at A High School's dormitory demanded sufficient rest time and an independent rest area from the school during their overnight shifts in early last month. They work 10 hours a day from Monday to Thursday, totaling 40 hours a week, and guard the dormitory for 15 hours from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next day. They signed a labor contract with the school under the condition that the hours from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. would be designated as rest time.
However, the dormitory supervisors claimed that even during the early morning rest hours, they often cannot rest properly if situations arise, and since they are not guaranteed an independent rest space, 'shadow labor'?work done without compensation?occurs. They held several negotiations with the school to resolve this issue but ultimately failed to reach an agreement. As a result, they vacated the dormitory for five hours from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.
With a gap in dormitory management during late-night hours, the school administrators had no choice but to step in themselves to protect the students. The vice principal took charge of supervising the boys' dormitory, and the principal took charge of the girls' dormitory during that time. However, another problem arose. Since both the principal and vice principal are male, the principal could not enter the girls' dormitory. Therefore, instead of entering the building, the principal has been spending the night in a tent at the dormitory entrance.
As the situation prolonged, the provincial education office also stepped in to mediate. The education office is considering various measures such as urgent deployment of substitute personnel and increasing the staff quota, but it is facing difficulties as no immediate agreement has been reached.
Meal service disruption for a month due to similar issues
The school also experienced a disruption in meal services for about a month due to similar issues. Since students live in the dormitory, three meals a day must be provided, but the number of cooking staff was below the required standard. As a result, the school was only able to provide proper lunch meals for a month, while breakfast and dinner had to be replaced with kimbap or bread. After lengthy negotiations with the cooking staff, the school resolved the issue by reinforcing additional personnel, enabling the provision of all three meals normally starting from the 15th.
These problems are not unique to this school but are common to all schools operating dormitories. If dormitory supervisors and cooking staff demand strict adherence to work regulations, similar issues could arise at other dormitory schools as well. Moreover, with Shin Kyungho, the Gangwon-do Superintendent of Education, recently declaring the revival of dormitory schools as part of his academic improvement policy, it is urgent to improve related regulations.
On the 19th of last month, Superintendent Shin stated, "Even students who do not live far from school will be able to focus solely on their studies by operating dormitories and making efforts to provide three meals a day?breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
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