» Roh Hoe-chan, the Chairperson of the New Progressive Party, delivers the opening remarks at a public hearing to collect testimony from irregular workers at the National Assembly, July 8.

According to a public opinion poll, more than half of South Koreans think that the government is responsible for the lay off of irregular workers.

The poll was conducted amid the situation that the Irregular Worker Law went into effect and lay offs have taken place. The enactment of the Irregular Worker Law requires that non-regular employees who have worked for longer than 2 years must be shifted to a regular worker status. Some companies have dismissed irregular workers in order to avoid changing the employment status of irregular workers.

According to the telephone survey of 1000 adults conducted by Hangil Research & Consulting, 51.7 percents of the respondents said that the government is responsible for the recent lay offs of irregular workers. Among respondents, 22.3 percent attributed the responsibility to the ruling and opposition parties’ lawmakers, 14 percent to companies and 5.9 percent to labor unions. The poll took place between July 5 to July 7 at the request of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).

On the matter of presenting a revision bill on the Irregular Worker Law to the plenary session of the National Assembly by the Speaker, 81.8 percent said it is undesirable. Only 12.4 percent said it is desirable. Facing the opposition Democratic Party’s fierce refusal to introduce the revision bill that postpones the enforcement of shifting irregular workers’ statuses stipulated in the current law, the ruling Grand National Party has asked the Speaker to do it. The GNP controls 170 seats in the 299-seat legislature, and could possibly pass the bill using its majority power.

On the question about how to revise the Irregular Worker Law, 45.5 percent answered that ‘irregular workers can be allowed only in cases where there is a rational reason for it.’ The finding indicates public opinion support for the labor union’s position that restricts the grounds for employment of temporary workers.

On the same item,　37 percent of the respondents said that the current law must be revised by extending the period in which non-regular worker is employed. Only 10.2 percent support the period currently specified in the law.

On the issue of subsidies for transitioning irregular workers to a regular worker status, 54 percent of the respondents answered that the subsidy must be enforced immediately regardless of whether or even before an amendment to the law passes. In contrast, 28.2 percent approved that the enforcement of a subsidy after amendment of the law, and 12.9 percent said that it should be deferred for the time being.

The KCTU concludes, “People recognize the incidences of lay offs of irregular workers are the result of ‘unemployment by MB’ (Lee Myung-Bak) and think that Minister of Labor Lee Young-Hee must be fired.” They are also saying the survey demonstrates support for the position that “the government should enforce the subsidy and be prepared to formulate the law and system for preventing further lay-offs.”

The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent level of confidence.

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