12 Years as a Grade 9 Fixed-Term Public Official
"Promised Promotion to Grade 7 for Recognized Performance"
A general fixed-term (Grade 9) public official who worked for 12 years at Paju City Hall in Gyeonggi Province has filed an administrative lawsuit against the mayor of Paju City, claiming that the promise of promotion to Grade 7 was not kept.
Fixed-term public official for 12 years... Claims "Promise of special promotion to Grade 7 based on performance"
According to Yonhap News on the 8th, a former Paju City public official, Mr. A, filed an administrative lawsuit against Mayor Kim Kyung-il of Paju City in March, seeking cancellation of the 'disqualification from public official appointment.' The first hearing is scheduled for the 14th at the Uijeongbu District Court. Mr. A reportedly filed the lawsuit after failing the Grade 7 fixed-term public official recruitment exam held by Paju City in January.
Mr. A, who served as a public official under three fixed-term contracts totaling 12 years (2 years + 2 years + 1 year, repeated thrice), claims that in August last year, he was promised a promotion to Grade 7 in recognition of his work performance. Trusting this promise, he submitted his resignation on the contract end date, but after failing the Grade 7 recruitment exam he took alone, he became unemployed.
According to Mr. A, shortly after Mayor Kim introduced the excellence of the "Paju-style outdoor advertising safety inspection system using drones for flood disaster preparedness" on a broadcast, he heard from a secretary's office staff member that "the mayor said to promote him to Grade 7 as a reward for his performance."
"Good news. The mayor said Grade 7" KakaoTalk message
In a KakaoTalk message disclosed by Mr. A, a person presumed to be a secretary wrote on August 12 last year, "Good news. I told the mayor it was the 'nation's first,' and he said to reward you." The message continued, "When I asked to promote you from Grade 9 to Grade 8, he said to make it Grade 7." Mr. A expressed gratitude, saying "Thanks to you," to which the secretary replied, "Buy me a meal^^."
Mr. A claimed, "The responsible manager and team leader reported this to the mayor at the time, and the mayor instructed the personnel team to proceed quickly, recognizing the employee's performance."
Labor union: "Whether appointed or not, it's a problem"... Paju City cancels announcement
According to a statement from the Paju City Integrated Public Officials Labor Union at the time, Mr. A's special promotion had become a topic of discussion among employees. The union stated, "(Mr. A) is a fixed-term public official whose term has ended and is currently in a resigned status, but Paju City announced a recruitment notice for the vacant position with a two-grade promotion. It is said that the relevant department requested this considering the importance of the work."
The union added, "Whether Mr. A is appointed or not, there is a problem. If reappointed, there will be controversies over favoritism and fairness, and if not appointed, the fundamental issue of job insecurity for fixed-term public officials will resurface."
They also said, "The employee probably expected reappointment based on his performance, but if he becomes unemployed, it will be a great misfortune," and demanded, "Paju City must immediately withdraw the recruitment notice that raised the position by two grades."
In the end, Paju City reportedly disqualified Mr. A in the recruitment and canceled the Grade 7 recruitment plan, then re-announced recruitment for Grade 9 in April. However, it has not been revealed whether Mayor Kim actually promised Mr. A employment or the reasons why Mr. A was not hired.
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