Chairman Choi Hojung Urgently Visits School with Suspended Meals... Proposes 'Seoul-type Treatment Improvement Plan'

Chairman Choi Hojung: "Seoul-type measures needed as nationwide uniform wages fail to improve treatment of Seoul school meal workers"

Choi Hojung, Chairperson of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, made an emergency visit to Eonnam Middle School on the 6th, where school meals were suspended due to a strike by education public service workers.

This visit was arranged to inspect the school site where substitute meals were provided due to the suspension of school meals and to seek solutions to the recurring issue of school meal workers' strikes every year.

On the day, Park Sanghyuk, Chairperson of the Education Committee, also attended the visit.

In Seoul, 244 out of 1,397 schools (17.5%) had their school meals suspended on that day.

At Eonnam Middle School, where Chairperson Choi visited, substitute meals consisting of triangular kimbap, sandwiches, and apple juice were provided.

Chairperson Choi and Chairperson Park inspected the substitute meal provision situation and held a meeting with parents, school officials, and meal service personnel. Chairperson Choi stated, “Since the issue of poor-quality school meals at a middle school in Seocho-gu last year, discussions on the treatment of meal cooks have been publicized, but no improvements have been made even after a year,” adding, “Because the 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education apply the same wages through collective wage negotiations, the actual improvement of treatment for meal workers in Seoul, where living costs and labor intensity are high, is not being achieved.”

He also pointed out, “This is a matter of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s will,” and proposed a differentiated Seoul-type treatment improvement plan as an alternative.

The Seoul-type treatment improvement plan proposed that day includes ▲ adding a separate agreement applicable only to Seoul during collective wage negotiation collective agreements or withdrawing from collective wage negotiations ▲ additional support such as transportation subsidies from basic local governments ▲ and preparation of health support measures.

Chairperson Park Sanghyuk said, “A large budget is spent on robotic arms and dishwashers in school meal facilities, but rather, this budget should be used to improve the treatment of meal cooks,” and added, “Wisdom is needed to discuss realistic solutions together.”

A parent attending the meeting also said, “The substitute meals are insufficient for the children, so after class ends, they will run to convenience stores before going to academies,” and requested, “This should not happen again next year. Please prepare countermeasures.”