Homeplus to upgrade all contract employees

Homeplus will grant full-time employment status to an additional 3,000 contract workers this year, the company said Monday.

The discount chain store announced that it has signed an agreement with its union to covert the contract workers to full-time employees.

The news comes just two months after Homplus agreed to switch the status of 12,000 contract workers.

Homeplus has two corporate entries: Homeplus and Homeplus Stores. Monday’s wage agreement was with the union of Homeplus Stores.

Following the change, the existing contract workers will be switched to regular workers, and their incomes will rise 7.2 percent.

“The change will offer an opportunity to contract workers to be able to gradually climb up the ranks in the company, which could ultimately allow them to land in an upper management position,” said a spokesperson from Homeplus.

The main differences between contract workers and regular employees have to do with promotions and salary increases. The retail store chain has traditionally switched the working status of part-timers who worked for longer than a year to contract workers based on evaluations. When the agreement is realized, Homeplus will be the first among major retailers to grant its entire workforce permanent status.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]