Facility management workers at Changwon Convention Center (CECO), a leading exhibition and conference venue in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, have demanded that South Gyeongsang Province and the Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation convert their employment status to regular positions and raise their wages to reflect the increase in the prevailing wage rate.
On the 20th, the Secco Branch of the Public Solidarity Labor Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference at the South Gyeongsang Provincial Government Press Center, urging, "South Gyeongsang Province and the foundation must immediately present measures for job security through direct employment, comply with labor-management agreements and government guidelines, and promptly secure a budget to improve the treatment of service workers by reflecting the increase in the prevailing wage rate."
The Public Solidarity Labor Union Secco Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is holding a press conference urging measures for job security of facility management service workers and the preparation of a budget according to the labor-management agreement. Photo by Lee Seryoung
The Secco Branch stated, "Facility management workers have lived under poor conditions as non-regular service workers for 20 years since the center opened. Even though the Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation took over CECO's operations in 2024, they remain service workers."
"Every year, as service providers changed, workers faced job insecurity. On January 1 of this year, a worker died tragically after feeling pressured to resign during an attempt by a new service provider to implement split labor contracts," they added.
They also argued, "Since 2017, the government has issued directives to convert non-regular workers at public institutions to regular positions, and the Lee Jaemyung administration has also included this in its national agenda. However, South Gyeongsang Province and the foundation continue to ignore the discrimination and job insecurity faced by non-regular workers."
They further pointed out, "Although the prevailing wage rate, which should be applied to public institution service workers, has finally been implemented after 20 years, cleaning and security workers are still paid at the minimum wage level, and there is not a single won allocated for welfare allowances such as meal subsidies and holiday bonuses."
The union stated, "The government instructed public institutions to reflect a 4.7% increase in the prevailing wage rate for service workers in the first half of 2025 and a further 0.8% increase in the second half in labor costs. However, the foundation claims that the first half increase has already been reflected and that labor and management can handle the rest, saying it will only apply the second half increase. In doing so, the foundation is making excuses for not following government guidelines."
They continued, "If even the government-announced increase in the prevailing wage rate is not reflected, there is no way to improve working conditions, and there is no reason to engage in collective bargaining with service providers that have no authority over the budget. South Gyeongsang Province and the foundation must stop deceiving workers."
Cost calculation unit price table based on simple labor worker standards presented by Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation. Provided by Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation
In response to the union's claims, the Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation countered, "We are faithfully implementing the prevailing wage rate guidelines effective from October 2024 as announced by the government, strictly complying with the minimum wage, and fully adhering to the guidelines for protecting the working conditions of service workers."
The foundation added, "Although the union is demanding an increased budget based on the tentative wage agreement for 2025, the foundation is not a party to the tentative agreement between the service provider and the union. In accordance with the principles of independence in contractual relationships and separation of management responsibility, the foundation is not bound by the agreement and has no obligation to increase the budget. The responsibility for securing funds and payment systems based on the labor-management agreement lies with the service provider."
The foundation also stated, "We have applied a projected price that is 6.9% higher than the 4.7% prevailing wage rate announced by the government, and the wage increase rate for calculating labor costs in 2025 has also been raised by 7.1% and reflected accordingly."
They continued, "The union's demand to increase the total labor costs by 4.0% based on a 4.7% increase in the prevailing wage rate for simple labor positions is inconsistent with the guidelines for protecting the working conditions of service workers."
A foundation official said, "We fully understand the concerns about job insecurity among service workers. We plan to pursue consulting with professional agencies and, through objective assessments by organizations such as the Local Public Enterprise Evaluation Institute, develop effective measures to ensure job security."
They added, "We will continue to consult with all stakeholders, including South Gyeongsang Province, Changwon City, and the union, to do our utmost to alleviate job insecurity among service workers and will continue efforts to improve their treatment."
Changwon CECO, which opened in 2005, is a specialized facility for exhibitions and conferences, hosting industrial exhibitions, international conferences, and cultural events.
The Gyeongnam Tourism Foundation, an organization funded by South Gyeongsang Province, marked its fourth anniversary last year and announced its commitment to fulfilling its role as a specialized agency for tourism and exhibitions. The foundation took over direct operation of CECO, previously managed by private companies, while outsourcing building and facility management to service providers.
However, on January 1, a non-regular security worker in his 50s who worked at Changwon CECO was found dead near the CECO cargo parking lot, leaving behind a suicide note.
He was employed by a service provider and, after being denied job succession during the change of service providers in December last year, worked under a three-month short-term contract before his death. The Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service recognized his death as an industrial accident in July.
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