Nearly 6 out of 10 irregular workers in South Korea are not receiving paid leave on national holidays. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Apr. 29 (Korea Bizwire) – A recent survey has revealed that nearly 6 out of 10 irregular workers in South Korea are not receiving paid leave on national holidays, a benefit guaranteed by the country’s labor laws.
The findings were announced on April 28 by the civic group Gabjil 119, which commissioned a poll of 1,000 employed adults aged 19 and older nationwide between February 2 and 13 by the research firm Global Research.
When asked if they could take paid leave on official holidays known as “red days,” 58.5 percent of irregular workers responded in the negative. In contrast, only 18.2 percent of regular employees said they were unable to take these paid days off.
The survey showed that smaller workplaces were less likely to grant paid holidays to their employees. At businesses with fewer than five employees, a staggering 58.9 percent said they could not take red days off with pay.
This percentage declined as workplace size increased, dropping to 40.6 percent for workplaces with 5 to 30 employees, 23 percent for those with 30 to 300 employees, and 18.6 percent for companies with over 300 employees.
Gabjil 119 shared accounts from workers who had consulted them via the messaging app KakaoTalk. One complainant said their employer counted national holidays like Memorial Day and Liberation Day as part of their annual paid leave allowance.
Another worker reported having 15 paid leave days per year, but being required to use them for red days and substitute holidays, leaving them with far fewer days they could freely take off.
“The right to rest is being rapidly stripped away from workers at small businesses,” said Kim Seu-rong, a labor attorney at Gabjil 119.
“The government and political leaders must act to expand the scope of the labor standards law related to this right, actively monitor workplaces for compliance, and punish employers who violate the law.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
