Educational support workers in South Korea’s North Jeolla Province rallied on March 6 to protest discriminatory treatment in maternity and childcare benefits compared to their civil servant counterparts. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
JEONJU, March 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Educational support workers in South Korea’s North Jeolla Province rallied on March 6 to protest discriminatory treatment in maternity and childcare benefits compared to their civil servant counterparts, highlighting growing tensions over workplace inequality in the education sector.
“Is it a crime to be a public service worker? It’s heartbreaking to face discrimination not just in wages and promotions, but even in childbirth and childcare,” said one participant at a press conference held by the National Education Public Service Workers’ Union at the North Jeolla Province Office of Education.
The disparity is particularly stark in daily operations. While teachers receive two hours of guaranteed “childcare time” daily to pick up their children from kindergarten, support staff are denied this benefit. “I can’t explain to my child why other mothers can pick them up earlier,” one support worker shared, requesting anonymity.
Educational support staff, who include after-school care workers, cafeteria workers, and custodians, are mostly on permanent non-civil servant contracts. The inequalities extend far beyond childcare time. Civil servants receive two hours daily for pregnancy-related rest and medical appointments, while support staff have limited access to this benefit. For fertility treatment leave, civil servants are granted 9 paid days plus optional leave of absence, while support staff receive only 4 days with no extended leave option. Maternity leave for support staff is limited to 10 days compared to civil servants’ 20 days, and unlike civil servants who receive 3 days of miscarriage leave, support staff have no such provision. Additionally, civil servants can take parental leave during pregnancy, a benefit not extended to support staff.
The union emphasized that North Jeolla Province’s policies are particularly restrictive compared to other regions, where many education offices provide equal childcare time benefits to all employees.
“The government talks about combating low birth rates and promoting work-life balance, but in reality, discrimination against adults is being passed down to children,” a union representative stated. “If we’re serious about addressing the low birth rate crisis, we must first eliminate discrimination in childcare and parenting support.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
