Korean Women’s Trade Union holds second strike against wage discrimination, precarious work

School food service workers joined a second strike by precarious school workers on November 29 in a long-running fight for wage equality with regular workers and an end to discrimination in working conditions.

The striking workers, which included members of the IUF-affiliated Korean Women’s Trade Union, also demanded fixed meal allowances, bonuses and holiday pay. Precarious workers employed at 1,000 schools nationwide joined the one-day strike which was organized by the National Council of Irregular Workers at Schools, an alliance formed by the KWTU and two other KCTU affiliates in February 2012.

During the strike 1,500 workers went to Seoul to protest in front of the Ministry of Education where they urged the President to implement her election campaign promises to regularize precarious workers in the public sector and called on the Ministry of Education to end wage discrimination.