hankyoreh

holds a demonstration in front of Gwacheon Government Complex on July 17. Theirs signs ask for migrant workers to have the freedom to change workplaces. (by Park Jong-shik

By Um Ji-won, staff reporter

Arun, 28, from Cambodia couldn’t find a job after the factory he worked closed up last month. He came to Korea last year under the Employment Permit System but it has been always tough to find a job.

He worked a factory in a deserted area, but they said they don’t provide the dormitory. One of the owners even directly told him, “I hate Cambodians.”

Now he has another problem. He heard that the job center will not provide job information as of this August. In the past, foreign workers had relied on this information when seeking and changing jobs.

From August, Arun won’t be able to find a job by directly contacting companies, but will have to wait until they call him. If he fails to find a job in 3 months, he will be deported as a non-registered migrant.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor decided that only companies should have access to information about job seekers, claiming that releasing the information to workers might lead to misuse by brokers. Some people argued that the government‘s decision violates the human rights of foreign workers.

Last June, the Ministry of Employment and Labor reported, “Recently some brokers who work with foreign workers incited them to move.” They issued the improvement policy for changing workplace and explained it, “If the workers change the workplace too often, labor productivity will be dropped down. That could be a bad influence for other diligent workers.”

The number of foreign workers’ changing workplace increased rapidly, from 2700 in 2008 to 12,000 in last year. A migrant workers support group claimed that, “The government should make a policy for foreign workers who cannot but change their workplace due to poor working conditions.”

According to the modified policy, foreign job seekers cannot contact companies first, but wait until they get a phone call. The hiring process is entirely up to the employers.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor added a provisory clause, “If the job seekers turn down the interview or employment without reason, their access to job referral services might be suspended for two weeks.”

It means the migrant workers go punished for 2 weeks when they refuse an offer because they wish to find a better workplace. According to another clause, job seekers always have to be able to pick up the phone when called, no matter what, even when their cell phone is broken or cut off due to unpaid bills.

“Before, the foreign workers could find better jobs if they tried hard using the information sheet,” said Representative Kim Yi-chan, from the shelter for migrant workers, ‘Earthians’ Station’.

"The new policy oppresses migrant workers’ human rights, and at the same time it will lead to more undocumented workers,” he criticized.

The civic groups, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Migrant Workers, held a press conference in front of Gwacheon Government Complex on July 17. They criticized the recent change, saying, “The policy is anti-human, forcing migrant workers to work like slaves.”

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