"Job Seekers' What Crime?" vs "We Also Tried" Regular Employee Conversion 'Status' Conflict

On the 22nd, after finishing a briefing on the regularization of security screening workers at Incheon International Airport Terminal 1, Koo Bon-hwan, President of Incheon International Airport Corporation, was met with strong protests from employees as he left the briefing room and was heading to the elevator. / Photo by Yonhap News

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[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Juhyung Lim] As Incheon International Airport Corporation decided to directly employ about 1,900 security screening staff, voices of dissatisfaction have emerged both inside and outside the company, deepening conflicts between regular public sector employees and non-regular workers. Those opposing the non-regular workers argue that their status is being changed not through rigorous evaluation but according to the president's campaign pledge, expressing their discontent. In response, non-regular workers rebut that they have undergone fair evaluations.

Earlier, on the 22nd, the corporation announced plans to directly employ personnel in three fields closely related to life and safety at Incheon International Airport: the airport fire brigade (211 people), wildlife control (30 people), and passenger security screening (1,902 people). Among them, the decision to change the status of 1,902 security screening personnel from special security guards to Cheongwon police officers and directly employ them sparked controversy inside and outside the company.

The corporation's regular employee union, the 'Incheon Airport Labor Union,' opposed the plan to directly employ Cheongwon police officers, calling it reverse discrimination against existing regular employees. At a rally held at Incheon Airport on the afternoon of the 23rd, the regular employee union stated, "We will launch an all-out struggle, including filing a constitutional complaint, against the unilateral conversion to regular employment that infringes on citizens' equality rights."

Dissatisfaction also erupted outside the company. A petition titled "Stop the Regularization of Non-Regular Workers in Public Enterprises," posted on the Blue House's public petition board on the 23rd, received over 220,000 endorsements by the morning of the 25th, two days later.

The petition posted on the 23rd urging the suspension of the conversion of non-regular workers to regular positions in public enterprises received over 200,000 endorsements within two days. / Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board Capture

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In the petition, the petitioner said, "Many of those being converted this time came in as part-time workers through job sites. If more non-regular workers than regular employees are converted to regular status, what crime have job seekers who study and build their qualifications to enter here committed?" They added, "In a company where you barely pass the document screening only if you have nearly a perfect TOEIC score, is it fair that people with similar qualifications are converted without even taking an exam?"

On the other hand, non-regular workers rebutted that they are not 'free riders' as they were comprehensively evaluated based on experience and capabilities during the hiring process.

The Incheon International Airport Security Screening Labor Union stated in a position paper on the 24th, "Most employees graduated from departments such as Aviation Security, Aviation Service, and Security Studies and have over ten years of experience," emphasizing, "Security screening workers are not part-time workers."

They continued, "Tasks directly related to the lives and property of the public should be operated directly by responsible institutions, not by subcontractors that change every few years," stressing the importance of direct management.

President Moon Jae-in is speaking about creating good jobs at the event "Visiting President. Opening the Era of Zero Irregular Workers in the Public Sector!" held at Incheon International Airport Corporation on May 12, 2017. / Photo by Yonhap News

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The turmoil surrounding the conversion of non-regular workers to regular status has been ongoing. Since the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration in 2017, policies have been promoted under the promise of 'zero non-regular workers in the public sector,' but conflicts between existing regular employees and non-regular workers have continuously surfaced.

On August 26, 2017, prospective teachers and civil service exam candidates gathered at Cheonggyecheon Hanbit Square in Seoul to hold a large-scale rally opposing the government's plan to regularize fixed-term teachers.

Incheon International Airport Corporation, the government's 'No. 1 public enterprise for zero non-regular workers in the public sector,' also saw regular employees protest in front of the National Assembly audit hall in October last year. At that time, they argued, "Forcing non-regular workers to be automatically succeeded just because they are non-regular workers contradicts equal opportunity in public enterprises that require fierce competition to enter."

Experts attribute the cause of such conflicts to the entrenchment of class distinctions between regular and non-regular workers.

Professor Jonggang Ha, head of the Labor Academy at Sungkonghoe University, said in an interview with 'YTN' on the 24th, "Because there are many non-regular workers in society, a class-like division has solidified. The distinction between regular and non-regular workers, like the past yangban (nobility) and commoners, has formed deeply in the consciousness of the younger generation, which is a very serious problem."

He added, "People's sentiments have become so impoverished that they cannot accept the improvement of labor conditions for existing non-regular workers and their approach to a more humane life, even at their own disadvantage. However, we must consider the impact of labor on society as a whole rather than just individual labor conditions. The regularization of non-regular workers is pursued not only for humanitarian reasons but also because it benefits the national economy."

Regarding concerns that the large-scale regularization of non-regular workers might harm existing regular employees, he explained, "Currently, the regularization of non-regular workers means that the business expenses previously paid to subcontractors are absorbed back into the headquarters. Since the headquarters was already paying labor costs to subcontractors, except for some welfare expenses, there is not much difference. Therefore, it does not significantly affect the share going to regular employees."

He concluded, "On the contrary, if labor conditions improve through the regularization of non-regular workers, the employment opportunities for job seekers will also increase. It can rather be an opportunity."

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