Photo : YONHAP News
The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the labor ministry held an emergency meeting Tuesday in response to the departure without notice on September 15 of two domestic helpers from the Philippines, who were hired as part of a pilot program.
At the meeting on Tuesday, the city government and the ministry announced plans to permit weekly and biweekly payments and to extend the employment period to three years from the current seven months.
Kim Sun-soon, head of the city government’s women and family office, said after the meeting that changing over from monthly to weekly payments would require the revision of their employment contracts.
Kim said the women who left their jobs do not seem to have done so over money, and two of the 100 domestic helpers participating in the program also attended the meeting and did not express dissatisfaction with their wages.
City officials say they will look into extending the curfew at the workers’ accommodations from the current 10 p.m., and will provide information on spaces where they can take a rest in between shifts.