Ulsan Office of Education Minimizes Meal Service and Neulbom Gaps in Preparation for General Strike

Diet Adjustment and Alternative Meals Provided, Neulbom School Operating Normally

Situation Room Established Until Strike Ends to Address Urgent Issues

Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Cheon Chang-su) has prepared alternative meal provisions and measures to minimize care gaps in anticipation of the nationwide school irregular workers' union general strike scheduled for the 6th.

Deputy Superintendent Yeom Gi-seong attended a video conference of city and provincial superintendents chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Lee Ju-ho on the 4th, where they discussed response measures to the nationwide school irregular workers' union's general strike by educational public officials.

The Ministry of Education and 17 city and provincial offices of education have been conducting collective wage negotiations with the nationwide school irregular workers' union since July 2023, but a strike has been announced recently due to differences in views between labor and management.

Participants at the meeting agreed on the necessity of a smooth resolution through labor-management consultations to protect students' rights to learning and health.

At the same time, they decided to establish a situation room to prevent the spread of the strike through close communication between labor and management and to actively respond to emergencies during strike situations.

By sector, the meal service will adjust menus and provide alternative meals considering the scale of strike participants, and Neulbom School will operate normally by offering other programs. Special education plans to minimize inconvenience to students and parents through school-specific measures and shortened classes.

Earlier, the Ulsan Office of Education informed each school to have students bring their own lunch boxes in preparation for the general strike and arranged to provide simple meals to students who could not prepare lunch boxes.

They maximized the use of staff and personnel not participating in the strike to ensure no disruption in kindergarten after-school programs, elementary care, and special education operations.

The Ministry of Education and 17 city and provincial offices of education will respond thoroughly to ensure teachers, parents, and students feel secure in educational settings and plan to communicate with unions during the 2024 collective wage negotiations to find a smooth agreement.