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Workers use wooden boards to rake salt that has settled on the ground at the salt farm in Sinuido, Shinan-gun, Jeollanam-do. /Chosun DB
“Monthly salary of 2.02 million won or more / 7 days a week / Dormitory and 3 meals provided”
Controversy recently erupted online after it was revealed that a job advertisement for a “skilled worker in sea salt production” with such working conditions was posted on Worknet, a job board run by the Ministry of Employment and Labor. This is because the compensation is below the minimum wage from 2024 (approximately 2.06 million won for 40 hours per week) and there is a condition that the employee must work seven days a week.
There was a surge in public opinion among netizens who criticized the fact that a notice to recruit “slaves” had been published on the government’s official website. However, the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated that this claim was not true. At the time of writing, it was an announcement that corresponded to the legal minimum wage, and also the “7-day week” was a misunderstanding caused by an attempt to explain that working days were irregular due to the nature of the work.
A salt farm job posting posted on Worknet. /worknet capture
According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Mokpo Employment Welfare Center, on the 4th to the previous day, a post was published on Worknet, a government job information site, which said: “Recruiting ordinary workers for sea salt production.” The wage was estimated at over 2.02 million won and the work schedule was 7 days a week. It was also said that a place to sleep and three meals would be provided. There were no special qualifications for the application, such as: B. Education or experience.
Criticisms such as “Evil salt farm owners” came from netizens, “Salt farm owners don’t know how many days in the week there are?” and “Does the Ministry of Employment and Labor also provide slave services?” It is said that the working conditions are compared to the physical strenuous work in salt cultivation were absurdly bad.
However, based on the confirmation from Mokpo Employment Welfare Center, the notice was written in November last year and the expiry date of the notice was December 31, 2023. It is said that there was unnecessary misunderstanding as it remained on the homepage and until New Year’s Eve was not deleted earlier this month. Mokpo Employment Welfare Center said, “Originally, it was a legitimate announcement that guaranteed wages over 2.01 million won, which was the legal minimum wage last year.”
In the case of “working 7 days a week”, the expression is intended to mean that the days off have not been determined in advance. Due to the nature of work in the salt farm, which depends on the weather, it is said to be difficult to determine days off in advance. The center said: “Even in the case of workers in other workplaces who are actually employed in salt farms, a 40-hour week, five days a week, is guaranteed, with no additional overtime.”
When companies apply to job postings on Worknet, the Department of Employment and Labor actually verifies the details of all applications via telephone calls. Publication on Worknet is carried out after checking whether the minimum wage is being met, whether there are violations of laws and regulations such as gender and age discrimination and whether the working conditions are appropriate.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor said: “We have continuously carried out labor inspection to protect the labor rights and working conditions of workers working in salt farms, and we will continue to strengthen on-site prevention activities in the future.” He added: “We “We will continue to strengthen monitoring, including minimum wage compliance, in the future.” “We will do our best to provide job seekers with more reliable job information.”
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