Changamoto muhimu za uajiri kuhusiana na nchi ya Korea Kusini ni kutokana na maendeleo ya haraka nchini humo kwa miaka ya hivi karubuni. Kulingana na utafiti wa ILO (2013), mabadiliko ya haraka ya kiuchumi imeleta ongezeko la kuhitajika kwa wafanyakazi wenye ujuzi wa juu, hivyo kuleta haja ya kuajiri wafanyakazi wa kigeni kutoka nchi jirani zilizo maskini lakini zimeimarika kwa idadi ya wanaotaka nafasi za ajira. Uhaba wa wafanyakazi katika Jamhuri ya Korea ni mwingi sana hasa katika viwanda vidogo na vya katikati, ujenzi na biashara zinazolengwa na huduma.

Kinyume cha nchi zingine za bara Asia, (Thailand, Malaysia), Korea Kusini haina mipaka na nchi maskini zilizo na masoko huru ya wafanyakazi, hali inayorahisisha nchi nyingine kudhibiti na kutawala uhamiaji usio wa kawaida. Sawa na Japan, Korea Kusini imekua na wafanyakazi wenye asili sawa; hadi mwaka wa 1990, sheria ya Korea ilipiga marufuku kuajiri kwa wafanyakazi walio na ujuzi wa chini humo nchini. Hii imeanza kubadilika tu hivi karibuni. Haya maendeleo yamesababisha kutoridhika miongoni mwa rai wa Korea na wengine wamesema kwamba huenda mvutano ukaongezeka zaidi nchi ikiendelea kuingiza wafanyakazi wageni.

Ili kushughulikia mabadiliko ya mazingira na uhaba wa wafanyakazi, Korea Kusini iliunda mchakato wa kibali (Employment Permit System – EPS), programu ya kuingiza wafanyakazi wa kigeni inayolenga kukabiliana na ubaguzi wa rangi, ukabila, kidini, kijinsia na kadhalika. Kuna kamati ya sera ya wafanyakazi wa kigeni inayofanya uamuzi wa idadi ya wafanyakazi wa kigeni wanaoingizwa nchini kila mwaka. Kiwango hicho baadaye ugawanywa miongoni mwa nchi asili za wafanyakazi wa kigeni ambazo zimetia saini mikataba kati ya nchi mbili na Korea Kusini (nchi kumi). Kwa hiyo, Korea Kusini huzui mashirika ya kuajiri ya kibinafsi na kuajiri wafanyakazi wa kigeni kupitia kwa mawasiliano ya serikali moja hadi nyingine, kinyume cha nchi za Mashariki ya Kati. Baada ya kuajiriwa, wafanyakazi wa kigeni hupata haki sawa na wafanyakazi wa asili, isipokuwa vizuizi vya kubadilisha waajiri, na wana haki sawa za faida kama bima, kiafya na malipo ya uzeeni.

Bila kujali uimarishaji wa Korea Kusini katika mchakato wa kuajiri, ripoti fulani ya ILO pia inatoa dosari katika mfumo huo. Kwanza, mfumo huohukosa kushughulikia kikamilifu ukosefu wa wafanyakazi. ILO inaripoti ukinzano wq mara kwa mara kati ya kuhitimu   kwa wafanyakazi na mahitaji ya kazi wanazopokea. Mara nyingi, EPS huwaweka wafanyakazi wa kigeni mahali hatari katika usalama na afya kazini ukilinganisha na raia wa Korea. Kwa vile wengi wa wafanyakazi wakigeni wanaokuja Korea agalau wana masomo ya sekondari, uwekaji wao usio sambamba husababisha upungufu wa maarifa na ujuzi.

Kwa kuongezea, ushahidi unashauri kwamba dhulma kwa wafanyakazi wahamiaji haswa katika sekta ya kilimo ni suala nyeti katika Jamhuri ya Korea. Shirika la Amnesty International (2014) limekosoa EPS kwa kuzuia sana ubadilishanaji wa ajira hivyo basi kuongeza hatari za kazi za kulazimisha na unyonyaji kutoka kwa waajiri kutokana na uhaba wa chaguo mbadala. Licha ya kuwa kinyume cha sheria, waajiri wengi huwakodisha wahamiaji kwa mashamba mengine hivo kuwashughulikia kama bidhaa pamoja na vitisho vya kufutwa, hali inayoweza sababisha kuhamishwa na kurudishwa makwao. Imeripotiwa kwamba waajiri wengine hawalipi mishahara kikamilifu, kuwa wahamiaji lazima wafanye kazi kwa muda wa ziada bila malipo na hawapati muda mwafaka wa mapumziko. (Amnesty International, 2014). Kwa kuongezea, wahamiaji walitoa sauti kuhusu ukosefu wa kinga, kwa mfano wa kutumia kemikali za wadudu. Amnesty Internation (2014), pia ilitoa shutuma dhidi ya serikali ya Korea Kusini kwa kukosa kutilia maanani malalamishi kutoka kwa wafanyakazi wahamiaji na kukosa kuwashtaki waajiri wanaowadhulumu wafanyakazi wahamiaji.

Tatizo jingine la kawaida ni kwamba wafanyakazi wahamiaji huingia katika madeni makubwa ili kugharamia uhamisho wao, (Amnesty International, 2014).

Pata mengi kuhusu kiwango cha heshima kwa haki za wafanyakazi katika nchi kulingana na ripoti kadirio kuhusu haki za kimaitaifa (ITUC Global Rights Index) hapa.

 

See below Updated Content 7 April 2022.

The main recruitment-related issues in South Korea are associated with the rapid development that the country has been going through in recent years. According to a 2013 study by ILO, rapid economic transformation has produced a rising demand for highly skilled workers, thus creating the need to recruit foreign workers from labour-rich but poor neighbouring countries. Labour shortage in the Republic of Korea is concentrated mainly among small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, construction and service-oriented businesses.

As opposed to other Asian countries (e.g. Thailand, Malaysia), South Korea does not have borders with poor countries with loose labour markets, which makes it easier for the country to control irregular immigration. Similarly to Japan, South Korea has had a relatively homogeneous workforce;  until 1990, the Korean law prohibited low-skilled migrant workers' employment in the country. This started changing only recently. These developments have caused certain dissatisfaction among the Korean population, and some have argued that the tensions might intensify further as the country admits more foreign workers.

To address the changing environment and labour shortage, South Korea created the Employment Permit System (EPS), an admission program for foreign workers, which aims at countering discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, etc. The country has a Foreign Worker Policy Committee, which determines annual quota for foreign workers to be admitted to the country. The quota is then shared to potential origin countries which have signed bilateral agreements with the Republic of Korea (10 16 countries). Therefore, South Korea avoids private recruitment agencies and, in contrast with Middle Eastern countries, recruits foreign workers through government-to-government communication. After recruitment, foreign workers have similar rights as native workers, apart from a restriction on changing employers, and are entitled to similar benefits, such as insurance, healthcare, and pension.

Regardless of the mentioned strengths of South Korean recruitment process, an ILO report also highlights its shortcomings. To begin with, the system fails to adequately address labour shortages. The ILO reports frequent mismatches between the workers' capabilities and the requirements of the jobs they receive. Often, the EPS places foreign workers at workplaces that are more dangerous in terms of occupational safety and health, as compared to Korean nationals. Since most foreign workers coming to South Korea have at least secondary education, their misplacement leads to brain waste and de-skilling.

In addition, evidence suggests that abuse of migrant workers especially in the agricultural sector is an issue in the Republic of Korea. To secure stable labor force of companies and protect Korean workers, the change of the workplace of migrant workers through the general employment permit system is possible only for specific reasons, and the number of times is limited. However, the Korean labor movement, including the Migrants' Trade Union, opposes the regulations because this regulation does not protect "freedom of choice of occupation, equal rights, and prohibition of forced labor." Amnesty International (2014) criticises the EPS for being too restrictive regarding job change which increases migrants' risks of forced labour and exploitation by employers due to limited alternative options. Despite being illegal, many employers seem to subcontract migrants to other farms treating them more as commodities and threatening workers with dismissal, which might lead to deportation.

It has been reported that in some cases employers do not pay the full salary, that migrants must work overtime without compensation and do not get adequate rest (Amnesty International, 2014). According to Article 63 of the Labor Standards Act, work hours, recess, and holidays are not applied to agriculture workers, etc. In addition, the legal minimum wage for general sailors is higher than the legal minimum wage for workers working on the land. However, migrant sailor workers are subject to a separate minimum wage.

Dormitory problems are also serious. Plastic greenhouse, container boxes, and accommodations without a toilet are often provided as dormitories. And, a considerable amount of money is often deducted from the monthly salary for dormitory expenses. The improvement of accommodation for workers who entered through EPS is underway, but for other migrant workers, even regulations are still poor. In 2022, there was a migrant worker who died in a fire at the factory's accommodation. (https://www.khan.co.kr/national/labor/article/202203031347001)

The issue of health rights is also serious. According to the Migrants' Trade Union, the incidence of industrial accidents among migrant workers is higher than that of Koreans. Workers at workplaces without business registration of fewer than five agriculture workers are not allowed to subscribe to workplace health insurance. A local subscription is required, which is higher than the workplace health insurance fee. Medical accessibility is very low due to labor without holidays, lack of information on medical institutions, and lack of interpretation, so health rights are limited.

In addition, migrants voiced concerns about insufficient protection for instance when working with pesticides.Amnesty International (2014) furthermore accuses the South Korean government of not taking complaints from migrant workers seriously and of not prosecuting employers who treat migrant workers unfairly.

Another common problem is that migrant workers get into huge debts to be able to finance labour migration (Amnesty International, 2014).

Find out more about the degree of respect for workers rights in this country based on ITUC Global Rights Index here (2021).