School Non-Regular Workers Announce 6-Day General Strike... Ministry of Education "Establishes Situation Room and Provides Substitute Meals"

Ministry of Education Shifts to Strike Response System for Education Offices
Support Measures for Neulbom Classes, Special Schools, etc.
Lee Ju-ho: "We Will Respond Without Gaps"

With a nationwide general strike of non-regular school workers scheduled for the 6th, the Ministry of Education announced that it will set up a situation room to respond to any urgent issues. Measures will also be put in place to ensure that education is not disrupted, such as providing alternative meals in preparation for the participation of meal service workers in the strike and offering the Neulbom School program.

On the 4th, Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, held a meeting with provincial and metropolitan superintendents of education to discuss response measures to the general strike of educational public workers planned by the National Union of Non-Regular School Workers on the 6th. Earlier, on the 2nd, the National Union of Non-Regular School Workers announced that they would go on strike, stating that wage negotiations with the Ministry of Education and 17 provincial and metropolitan offices of education, which make up the management side, had failed to reach an agreement.

As school non-regular workers went on a general strike demanding the elimination of wage disparities with regular workers, the cafeteria of a middle school in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, was completely empty on the 25th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

According to the Ministry of Education, at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Lee emphasized that "the Ministry of Education and the 17 provincial and metropolitan offices of education will cooperate with one heart and one mind to respond thoroughly so that teachers, parents, and students in the education field can feel secure," and "to ensure that various reform tasks being prepared ahead of the new school year next year can be firmly established in the field, communication with the education field will be maintained to ensure stable school operations."

The Ministry of Education and the provincial and metropolitan offices of education stressed that while respecting the union's right to collective action, a smooth resolution through labor-management consultations is necessary to protect students' right to learn and their health. They also pledged to do their best to prevent the strike by maintaining close communication between labor and management and to respond promptly to emergencies by setting up a situation room to handle urgent matters during the strike.

Regarding meal provision, the plan is to respond by adjusting menus and providing alternative meals, considering the scale of meal service workers participating in the strike. Neulbom School classes will maintain normal operations by offering other programs within Neulbom School. In the case of special education, each school will establish countermeasures and support flexible educational activities such as shortened classes.