Damyang-gun Provides Human Rights Training for Employers of Foreign Seasonal Workers

Explanation of Labor Rights Violation Cases and Compliance with the Labor Standards Act

Damyang-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Lee Byeong-no) announced on the 20th that it recently conducted human rights education for about 100 employers of foreign workers at the conference room of the Dambit Agricultural Center.

The education was organized to emphasize the importance of preventing human rights violations related to foreign seasonal workers, which has been increasingly raised recently, and to provide essential compliance training for employers as well as explain the guidelines for operating the foreign seasonal worker program in the first half of 2024.

Moon Gil-ju, director of the Jeonnam Labor Rights Center, who conducted the training, guided essential procedures such as compliance with the Labor Standards Act and mandatory subscription to industrial accident insurance based on recent labor rights issues and consultation cases involving seasonal workers. He also explained that the actual conditions of human rights violations against seasonal workers and employers’ difficulties will be continuously monitored in cooperation with Damyang-gun.

The foreign seasonal worker program is a system that allows legal employment of foreigners for up to 5 months (maximum 8 months) in agricultural sectors that require intensive labor during seasonal periods such as sowing and harvesting.

Damyang-gun has been allocated 241 seasonal workers for 100 farms in the first half of this year, and they are expected to enter the country sequentially starting as early as next month.

Governor Lee Byeong-no said, “Due to the recent suspension of manpower dispatch from the Philippines caused by human rights violations against foreign seasonal workers, there are concerns about disruptions in labor supply, making the role of employers crucial. Damyang-gun has taken proactive measures by expanding agreements with other countries such as Laos in preparation for this, and we will continue to do our best to minimize labor shortages during the busy farming season.”