The Council for Migrant Workers and Labor Movements (UINOK) expressed concern, calling it "hasty administration," after the Ministry of Justice recently selected the Korea Agency of Education, Promotion and Information Service in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (EPIS) as the specialized agency for the foreign seasonal worker program.
UINOK issued a statement on the 18th, saying, "The seasonal worker program is not a simple labor supply project but a public system that must ensure migrant workers' human rights, community responsibility, and institutional transparency together," and added, "Pushing ahead (with selecting a specialized agency, etc.) without sufficient public debate will amplify confusion on the ground."
It also said, "In the operation of the seasonal worker program, structural problems such as labor rights violations, illegal broker involvement, and wage exploitation have been repeated," and added, "In this situation, designating EPIS, whose main focus has been agricultural education and promotion, as the specialized agency is not appropriate."
The foreign seasonal worker program is a short-term employment and stay system for foreigners introduced to address the decline in the agricultural population and labor shortages during peak farming seasons. Local governments had handled related operations, but as human rights violations such as wage extortion by illegal brokers continued to occur in the field, the need for more systematic management was raised. In response, the Ministry of Justice announced early this year that it would establish a "seasonal work specialized agency" to systematically support program operations and related tasks.
UINOK urged the government and the National Assembly to take the following steps: ▲ swift legislation of the foreign seasonal worker program ▲ social public debate on the process of selecting a specialized agency ▲ establishment of a management system that ensures public interest, efficiency, and accountability ▲ an approach from a national agricultural and fisheries policy perspective rather than immigration control.
UINOK emphasized, "Seasonal workers are precious actors who support Korea's agriculture and fisheries," and said, "The government needs a comprehensive policy shift to secure the sustainability of rural areas, rather than ad hoc agency designations."
It continued, "We will continue to monitor and respond until a public-centered labor policy for agriculture and fisheries is established that enables farmers and migrant workers to coexist."