Small Business Owners Seek Stricter Regulations for Migrant Workers
In a recent survey conducted by the Korea SME Federation (KBIZ), over 60% of small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners advocated for stricter regulations for migrant workers who change jobs too frequently. These employers urged the government to force E-9 visa holders to work at their first workplace for a minimum of three years. The KBIZ surveyed 500 SMEs that employ immigrant workers and found that deportation is the preferred solution for dealing with foreign employees protesting the termination of their employment contract so they can seek work elsewhere.
Forum to Propose Reforms in Government Policies on Migrant Workers
The results of the survey were released during a forum organized by KBIZ with labor policy experts and small business owners. The purpose of the forum was to propose reforms in government policies on migrant workers. Noh Min-sun, a researcher at the Korea Institute of SMEs and Startups, said that foreign employees requested their employment contracts be terminated by 58.2% of SMEs less than six months after the foreign workers arrived in Korea.
E-9 Visa Holders Must Work at First Place of Employment for Three Years
According to Statistics Korea data displayed at the forum, 42.3% of E-9 visa holders worked less than a year in their first places of employment. E-9 visa holders are eligible to stay in Korea for an additional three years and 22 months, but they must work at their first place of employment for at least the first three years. Although they can change their work location in some cases, such as when their employer consents to it, when the company closes, or due to delays in wage payments.
Reasons for Termination of Employment Contracts
Contrary to the common belief that low wages and poor working conditions encourage foreigners to change jobs, the survey revealed that the most common reason for termination requests was not because of poor working conditions or low wages: 38.5% of the reasons behind these requests were to work with friends employed elsewhere. Noh also added that 96.8% of SMEs accepted requests to terminate the employment contracts of their migrant employees. Among companies that rejected applications, 85.4% said foreign employees worked slowly, pretended to be sick, or failed to show up for work.
Countermeasures Proposed
Migrant workers claim that they still face limitations on their freedom to change workplaces without the consent of their employers. Labor policy experts and small business owners at the forum proposed countermeasures. They called on the Ministry of Labor and immigration authorities to come up with concrete policies to address the issue of frequent job changes among migrant workers who have a legal status. Lee Myung-ro, head of KBIZ’s small business labor policy division, proposed making counterproposals to the government and legislators to deport foreigners who work slowly to change jobs.
Migrants Union Claims Violations on Workers’ Rights
Meanwhile, the Migrants Union issued a statement on the 2023 International Labor Day expressing dissatisfaction with the restrictions placed on migrant workers. The statement claimed that migrant workers faced limitations on their freedom to change jobs without the consent of their employers. The union considers such limitations as de facto forced labor, where the government and employers use the visa as a weapon to make workers work against their will. The union argued that this situation not only violated ILO conventions but also violated the International Convention on Economic Rights, Social and Cultural Rights of the UN and the Convention on Human Rights, which seek to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
Conclusion
In conclusion, small business owners in Korea seek stricter policies for migrant workers changing jobs too frequently. The survey conducted by KBIZ shows that such employers support deportation as the preferred solution for dealing with migrant workers protesting contract terminations so that they can seek employment elsewhere. Labor policy experts and small business owners suggest concrete countermeasures for the Ministry of Labor and immigration authorities to address the issue. The Migrants Union claims that migrant workers still face limitations on their freedom to change jobs without the consent of their employers, which translates to de facto forced labor. The situation not only violates ILO conventions but also violates the International Convention on Economic Rights, Social and Cultural Rights of the UN and the Convention on Human Rights, which seek to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
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Small business owners urge stricter rules for migrant workers changing jobs
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| Lee Jae-kwang, chairman of the labor committee of the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ), speaks during a forum at the federation’s headquarters in Seoul on Thursday. Courtesy of KBIZ |
By Park Jae Hyuk
More than six in 10 small and medium-sized business (SMB) owners agree on the need for stricter regulations for migrant workers who change jobs too frequently and urged the government to force E-9 visa holders to work for at least three years. at their first workplace, according to a recent survey conducted on Thursday by the Korea SME Federation (KBIZ).
The federation surveyed 500 SMEs that employ immigrant workers and found that deportation is employers’ preferred solution for dealing with slow-working foreign employees protesting management’s refusal to terminate employment contracts so they can relocate. to other workplaces.
These results were released during a forum organized by KBIZ with labor policy experts and small business owners to propose reforms in government policies on migrant workers.
At the event, Noh Min-sun, a researcher at the Korea Institute of SMEs and Startups, said that foreign employees asked 58.2 percent of SMEs to terminate their employment contracts, less than six months after the foreign workers They will come to Korea.
Those working on an E-9 visa, who are eligible to stay in Korea for an additional three years and 22 months, must work at their first places of employment for at least the first three years. But they can change their place of work in some cases, such as the closure of a company, delays in the payment of wages or when their employment contract is terminated with the consent of the employer.
According to Statistics Korea data displayed at the forum, 42.3 percent of E-9 visa holders worked less than a year in their first places of employment.
In contrast to the common belief that low wages and poor working conditions encourage foreigners to change jobs, the most common reason behind job termination requests was to work with their friends employed elsewhere, which which represents 38.5 percent of the causes of such requests. , according to the survey.
Noh added that 96.8 percent of SMEs accepted requests to terminate the employment contracts of their migrant employees. Among companies that rejected applications, 85.4 percent said foreign employees worked slowly, pretended to be sick or did not show up for work.
“When migrant workers try to change jobs without a valid reason, employers should be allowed to take some countermeasures,” the researcher said. “If the employers did nothing wrong, the government should consider banning foreign workers from changing jobs for a certain period of time.”
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| Foreign workers pour molten metal into molds at a foundry in Paju, Gyeonggi province, in this 2021 file photo. Korea Times photo by Lee Han-ho |
During the discussion session at the forum, Lee Dong-soo, general manager of Dongjin Tech plastic molding company, called on the Ministry of Labor and immigration authorities to come up with countermeasures.
“As Korean citizens have refused to work at my company for more than two months, my family members have filled the void,” he said. “Migrant workers seek to change jobs right after arrival and when denied, they pretend to be sick.”
CEO Choi Won-choong of Sungwon AC Industries, a maker of auto gears and sensors, said a foreign employee at his company even filed a complaint with the labor authorities to protest the refusal to terminate his employment contract.
“As it is necessary to deport foreigners who work slowly to change jobs, we will make proposals to the government and legislators,” said Lee Myung-ro, head of KBIZ’s small business labor policy division.
However, migrant workers claim that they still face limitations on their freedom to change workplaces without the consent of their employers.
“This is de facto forced labor, where the government and employers use the visa as a weapon to force workers to work against their will. It violates not only ILO conventions, but also the International Convention on Economic Rights, Social and Cultural Rights of the UN and the Convention on Human Rights”. Elimination of all forms of racial discrimination,” the Migrants Union said in a 2023 International Labor Day Statement.
https://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=352155
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