Gyeonggi Province Labor Rights Center: "Do Not Worry About Unpaid Wages and Industrial Accidents During the COVID-19 Era"

[Suwon Ilbo=Park Nohun] Many workers are suffering from economic and employment crises due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

In Korea, last year alone, 413,722 workers failed to receive 1.63 trillion won in wages.

Against this backdrop, the Gyeonggi Province Labor Rights Center has received attention for providing substantial assistance in resolving unpaid wage and industrial accident issues for vulnerable workers in the province.

A man in his 50s named Baek, who worked at a restaurant in Icheon from June to December last year earning 100,000 won per day, faced livelihood difficulties due to sudden unemployment following COVID-19.

He learned about the opportunity to receive help through the 'Gyeonggi Province Labor Rights Center' and inquired about unpaid wage issues. The center provided free consultation support through village labor attorneys, informed him that he could receive holiday allowances even with daily wages, and assisted him in reaching a fair agreement with the restaurant owner.

Baek said, "I was unable to afford paid labor attorney consultations because I could not even receive four major insurance coverage including medical insurance and had to rely on my daughter's company for livelihood. I am grateful for the Gyeonggi Province's active support."

A man in his 50s named Lee, who worked as a cooking manager at a food company in Ansan, injured his back in February while lifting heavy objects. The problem was that there was no employment contract at that time, and the business owner paid wages on a daily basis rather than a monthly salary, resulting in unpaid wages as well.

Hearing Lee's story, the Labor Rights Center conducted in-depth consultation on wage arrears to enable him to apply for rights relief, and provided detailed guidance on industrial accident application procedures, offering multifaceted support.

Kwon in Yeoju was deeply worried because his mother, a factory worker, had an accident where her fingers were caught in a press machine. Since the workplace had not even enrolled in workers' compensation insurance and no employment contract was concluded, he was anxious about whether she could receive appropriate compensation and rehabilitation benefits.

Fortunately, he learned about the Gyeonggi Province Labor Rights Center and received consultation, where he could obtain detailed guidance on the industrial accident compensation procedures according to his mother's contract type.

Kim Gyushik, Director of the Labor Bureau, stated, "Due to the economic downturn from COVID-19, situations are emerging where equal employment contracts cannot be written or unfair labor conditions are reluctantly accepted. We will ensure that the Labor Rights Center actively helps so that no one loses protection of their rights due to lack of knowledge."

The Gyeonggi Province Labor Rights Center has provided consultation and rights relief related to various labor rights violations since its opening in March 2019.

In particular, since last year, it has conducted a total of 39 sessions of labor law education for 1,988 business owners at small-scale business establishments, focusing on 'improving labor awareness'.

Citizens in need of consultation can refer to the announcements on the Gyeonggi Province Labor Rights Center website (www.labor.gg.go.kr) or contact the center directly at 031-8030-4541.