CJ plans to hire agency workers

Industry

Published: 26 Jul. 2017, 20:28

CJ plans to hire agency workers

CJ Group announced Wednesday its plan to hire 3,008 workers that are currently employed through agencies.

“The decision was made in response to the new government’s job initiatives to improve working conditions for part-time workers and create quality jobs,” said a company spokesman.

Among the 3,008 that will be hired by the group, over 2,000 are cafeteria workers who work for CJ Freshway, a business-to-business company that distributes food ingredients and provides meal services.

Around 570 are clerical workers and 290 engage in broadcasting production for CJ HelloVision. The plan is to directly employ this workforce as soon as their current contracts with dispatch agencies terminate this year.

Dispatched workers renew their contracts with agencies every two years. If they sign the contract directly with CJ, they can work as long as they want until they reach the official retirement age.

“More than half of the cafeteria workers, for example, are aged over 55 and are living in financially difficult conditions,” said the company. “Therefore continual employment for them is very important and direct hiring will offer them a more stable workplace.”

The group further promised to offer 100 percent medical support for costs that exceed 100,000 won ($89). This was formerly offered to full-time employees only.

CJ Group already provided dispatched workers with interest support for school loans, scholarships and presents for national holidays.

CJ Group explained that it intended to move forward to create a fair workplace based on realizable measures by gradually shifting temporary positions to full-time and expanding benefits to irregular workers to lessen the welfare gap.

CJ also pledged to come up with a reform plan to improve the employment of subcontract workers at manufacturing facilities in the second half of this year.

Top conglomerates have been releasing plans to expand hires, reduce temporary workers or improve treatment of employees following the announcement of the Moon Jae-in administration’s jobs initiative.

Retail giants Lotte and Shinsegae made similar pledges in recent months.

BY SONG KYOUNG-SON [song.kyoungson@joongang.co.kr]