Spreading Awareness That 'Wage Arrears Are a Crime'
'Intentional Nonpayment' Leads to Immediate Legal Action
Company ㄱ is introduced as a ‘certified excellent company’ on private recruitment sites and has hundreds of employees working normally, but regardless of its business conditions, it has habitually delayed wage payments.
An employee of Company ㄴ anonymously reported, “I have never received my salary on time every month, and even now, wages have been overdue for more than two months. The vice president, who is the chairman’s son, said, ‘Even if you don’t pay wages for about two months, people won’t starve to death.’”
The Daegu Employment and Labor Office announced that starting from the 2nd, it will begin a focused planned labor inspection targeting 20 companies suspected of deliberately delaying wage payments, habitual wage arrears, and unpaid labor (overtime).
The companies subject to this planned inspection were selected based on analysis of reported cases and anonymous tips, focusing on those suspected of intentional wage arrears. If intentional wage arrears are confirmed, ‘immediate legal action’ will be taken.
In addition, from the 2nd for two weeks, on-site guidance and inspections will be conducted to prevent and eradicate wage arrears targeting 315 companies that have continuously experienced wage arrears over the past three years and 24 construction sites that have failed to pay retirement pension contributions.
By conducting planned inspections and focused guidance and inspections, efforts will be made to alleviate the difficulties of workers suffering from wage arrears and to spread social awareness that ‘wage arrears are a serious crime.’
Yoon Soo-kyung, head of the Daegu Employment and Labor Office, emphasized, “The perception of business owners who take wage arrears lightly must be changed,” and stated, “We will do our best to protect workers’ rights through strict law enforcement against habitual wage arrears business owners.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
