The Presidential Blue House March Migrant Workers “Refused to re-contract because of labor union… Stop discrimination”

A national joint action held on April 16th in Seoul’s Bukchon-gu demanded better labor rights for migrant workers. Over 200 migrant workers from Hyundai Motor Company and Dongguk Steel entered the Modern Steel Manufacturing Corporation’s subcontracting unit as members of the Metal Workers Union. The union and migrant rights organizations, along with foreign worker support groups, insisted on guaranteeing migrant workers’ freedom to choose their workplaces and urged reform of the government’s “Foreign Labor Integration Roadmap”.

Kim Yuda, the leader of the Metal Workers Union, stated that migrant workers who have been in Korea for 40 years still face discrimination and are severely dependent on employers. The union emphasized the need for an inclusive system that prioritizes human rights and labor rights. Despite the government’s promise to reform the foreign labor system, no announcement has been made yet.

The situation has led to more migrant workers joining unions, with Hyundai Motor’s subcontracting unit recently adding over 200 workers. Hyundai Motor reduced the basic salary of its “E-7-3” contractors from 2.04 million won to 1.87 million won in June, and introduced differential pay based on performance, excluding underperformers from contracts.

Foreign workers earn only half the salary of regular Korean workers. A Sri Lankan worker at Hyundai Motor was crushed by machinery while performing maintenance work, highlighting the poor working conditions. The Metal Workers Union criticized the lack of safety signs and failure to improve hazardous working conditions even after accidents.

The auto parts factory in Gyeongsangbuk-do also denied visa extensions and contract renewals to 13 migrant workers from the Metal Workers Union, citing “security” as the reason. The union demanded transparency in performance evaluations and rejected the company’s refusal to renew contracts based on arbitrary standards. The union criticized the discrimination against migrant workers who joined the union, calling it retaliation against union membership.

The Metal Workers Union, Metal Workers Union and migrant rights organizations marched from Gwanghwamun to the presidential office the following day, planning to hold a nationwide migrant workers’ conference on May 13th. The Metal Workers Union stated that the visa policy’s dual structure under the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Employment and Labor leads to migrant workers being displaced, undocumented, and their labor rights neglected, and vowed to continue fighting for migrant workers’ rights.