Unionized short-term contract workers at schools nationwide threatened to go on a general strike next month, demanding improved employment status and a salary system that would ensure job security and more benefits.

A group of labor unions of non-regular workers recently called for collective bargaining with the Education Ministry and 17 municipal and gubernatorial educational offices, according to the ministry.

The ministry and a majority of local authorities rejected the negotiations because the group’s legal employers are the school principals, not the educational superintendents.

Only four regional offices under progressive chiefs ― Gangwon, Gyeonggi, South Jeolla provinces and Gwangju ― agreed to negotiate with the union group.

The workers want to shift to a single salary schedule and indefinite-term contracts. They also demand that they be directly hired by superintendents so that the union group could represent all the workers in collective bargaining with school authorities.

A fifth of the 150,000 non-regular school staffers belong to the union alliance.

The union plans to stage street protests and hold forums this week. It will also file a lawsuit against the ministry and 11 local school authorities for unfair labor practices.

If the demands are not met by late August, the workers will wage their first general strike in September, when the schools begin a new semester, the union said.

During a vote from June 27 to July 18, 94 percent of the union members supported the planned walkout.

However, the Education Ministry said it will not change its position that school principals are their counterparts.

“The non-regular workers are hired by the principal of each school and are subject to the Labor Standard Law, not the Education Law,” the ministry said.

The ministry is also negative toward a shift to a single salary scheme which would cost the government and schools an additional 1.4 trillion won ($1.2 billion) per year.

Of the short-term contract school workers who fill about 50 kinds of roles, 43 percent are nutritionists or cooks. Assistants for school administration make up 9 percent, assistants for special education 4 percent, and assistants for science education 3.2 percent.

Many non-regular workers are labelled “school accounting assistant,” which implies that the workers get paid by the school’s budget.

The system is run by school authorities to minimize the labor cost by reducing the number of job categories and workers.

There is criticism for the simplified job category, saying the system puts too much burden on a small number of irregular workers without giving them the same benefits that regular staffers receive.

Regular workers get paid for weekends and holidays and get wage increases on a yearly basis, whereas irregular workers do not have any guarantee of a pay raise or extra benefits.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)