Public Officials' Federation Demands Salary Adjustment... Only 83% of Private Sector Level

Six Major Demands Presented to the Government

The Public Officials' Labor Unions Federation (referred to as the Public Officials' Federation), along with the Teachers' Labor Unions Federation, the Korea Post Workers' Union, the National Police Workplace Council, and three other industrial unions and federations, formed the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' Public Officials and Public Sector Livelihood Struggle Committee (Saengtuwi). On the morning of June 10, Saengtuwi held a press conference in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, urging the government to "actualize the salaries of public officials and teachers to match those in the private sector."

A press conference demanding the actualization of public officials' salaries. Provided by the Federation of Public Officials' Labor Unions.

At the press conference, Saengtuwi presented six major demands for the normalization of salaries and allowances: a 7% wage increase for 2026, a 40,000 won increase in position allowances for grade 6 and below, the abolition of the reduction rate for overtime pay, a 60% increase in longevity pay, a 100% increase in teaching allowances, and a 70% increase in holiday bonuses.

Kim Hyunjin, president of the Public Officials' Federation, stated, "Due to low salaries and worsening working conditions, the lives of public officials are becoming increasingly unstable, the resignation rate among new public officials is soaring, and the public sector is collapsing. This is not just an individual problem for public officials, but an issue that affects the quality of life for the entire nation." He demanded, "The government must no longer ignore the unstable lives of public officials and should provide fair compensation on par with the private sector."

In its press statement, Saengtuwi asserted, "Reasonable compensation for public officials and teachers is not merely a matter of individual livelihood, but a foundation for supporting the country's administrative capacity and providing stable public services to the people." The committee called on the government to immediately raise the salaries of public officials and teachers to private sector levels, and to strengthen the authority and status of the Public Officials' Salary Committee in order to establish a rational and predictable salary determination structure.

The salary level of public officials is, in fact, very low. According to the Ministry of Personnel Management's "2023 Survey on Public and Private Sector Salary Levels," the salaries of general public officials, excluding police, firefighters, and teachers, amounted to only 74.6% of the private sector average, with the overall average at just 83.1%. The resignation rate among new public officials surged from 17.1% in 2019 to 23.7% in 2023, directly leading to a growing aversion to public sector jobs.

Approximately 50 executives and union members from the Public Officials' Federation and other Saengtuwi-affiliated labor unions and organizations attended the press conference. They pledged to fight alongside the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions with all their strength until 1.3 million public officials and teachers, as well as 3 million public sector workers, receive fair compensation.