Let migrant workers change their jobs

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Let migrant workers change their jobs

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI


 
Won Ok-kum

Won Ok-kum

Won Ok-kum


The author is a Vietnamese migrant woman, representative of Migrant Center Donghaeng
 
“Hello everyone. My nose hurts. It still hurts a lot.”
 
These were the opening words of a migrant worker at a testimony event last October.
 
“I suffer from constant headaches, sneezing, a runny nose and even nosebleeds at times because of the strong smell at the factory. I have to take medication just to endure it. A doctor diagnosed me with allergic rhinitis and told me my nasal passages are severely swollen and need surgery. I submitted a medical certificate and resignation letter, asking to change workplaces, but the response was, ‘No.’ They told me to have surgery, rest for two to three months and then return to work. I had no choice but to file a complaint with the employment center, but the official I met there simply parroted the employer: ‘No.’"
 
The worker then added: “Even though a specialist said the condition could recur if I went back to the same place, the employment center official insisted that I undergo surgery and go back. When I pleaded with them to listen to me, they refused. So, I have just one question: Am I some kind of lab animal? Please don’t forget that migrant workers are human beings too.”
 
Under Korea’s Employment Permit System (EPS), migrant workers cannot leave their jobs without their employer’s consent. When they try to quit, employers often say, “Keep working, leave the country or become illegal. Pick one.”
 
Migrant workers invest enormous amounts of time, money and effort to come to Korea, and often rely on sheer luck. Returning home means abandoning their responsibility to support families back home. Choosing to stay as undocumented workers risks becoming illegal. With such limited options, many endure harsh conditions in silence.
 
To address allegations of excessive infringement on the basic rights of migrant workers, the Ministry of Employment and Labor allows workplace changes without employer consent in specific circumstances, such as assault, unpaid wages or violations of labor laws. However, proving these claims is a formidable challenge for migrant workers. For example, if a worker is assaulted, they would need clear video evidence to prove their case. How can one film such evidence while being attacked? This requirement often deters workers from filing complaints.
 
Even in the absence of overtly unfair treatment, workers naturally have the right to change jobs if the role is not what they expected, does not suit their aptitude or health or involves interpersonal conflicts. However, migrant workers often arrive in Korea after signing contracts with little information about the company. They frequently discover upon arrival that working conditions differ significantly from what was promised. Yet employers commonly say, “You signed a three-year contract. Work as agreed or go back to your country.”
 
The freedom to choose and change one’s occupation — a basic human right — is denied to migrant workers. Some employers even demand exorbitant payments from workers in exchange for permission to leave their jobs. What kind of labor system forces employees to pay to resign?
 
In this context, employers have little incentive to improve working conditions. They can keep migrant workers tied to their jobs cheaply and easily. If migrant workers had the freedom to change workplaces, employers would treat them more fairly and work to improve working conditions. Better environments would not only attract migrant workers but also appeal to domestic workers, potentially alleviating the labor shortages faced by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
 
Today, virtually everything we eat, wear and use has passed through the hands of migrant workers, even the houses we live in. Migrant workers do not demand special treatment. They simply want to be treated as equal human beings and workers.
 
As the new year begins, the plight of migrant workers remains unchanged. They endure the pain of being unable to quit even when ill. Despite two decades of the EPS, which has expanded the scope of industries and foreign labor recruitment, the indifference of Korean society toward the fundamental rights of migrant workers persists. Their sadness lingers, unresolved.
 
Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.   
 
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