Employmentweb_low

labour Markets and welfare states: a country perspective
million workers participated in over 3,700 labour strikes in 1987 and,
as a result, national pension (1988), worker's compensation
insurance (1989), and unemployment insurance (1993) were
reformed or reinforced. Basic laws regarding employment policies
(1993) and employment insurance systems (1995) were effected to
achieve employment stabilisation, job competency, and
unemployment benefits (lee, 2000). against the backdrop of the
1997 economic crisis, the Korean Tripartite Commission
(government, labour unions, and management) was launched in
1998, with the mission of striking a balance among labour market
flexibility, labour rights, and social welfare systems. In addition, the
Korea occupational Health and safety act (2003) was enacted to
protect workers from hazardous materials and unsafe work
environments.
several amendments to the labour standards act have been
ratified since it was enacted in 1953. The regulation prescribes the
minimum standards for wages, working times, and other practices
meant to create stable labour relations. for instance, employees are
entitled to receive 60 days of pre-notification and 30 days per year of
severance pay if they are fired. In 2005, the government expanded
and improved employment insurance benefits to daily workers.
However, precarious workers participate in the program at a
significantly lower level than standard workers at 33.1 per cent vs.
83.9 per cent. The unionisation rate is low and has steadily declined
from 19.8 per cent to 10.3 per cent from 1989 to 2005 (21.3%
standard workers, 3.0% precarious workers) (figures supplied by the
Knso). since Korea's economic crisis erupted in 1997, a large gap
has developed between standard and precarious workers in terms of
basic rights and social welfare coverage. a Korean study found that
over 80 per cent of Korean precarious workers (compared to 5.3% of
standard workers) reported feeling job insecurity. In the Korean
shipbuilding work force, precarious workers suffer job strain more
than standard workers by a factor of 3.7 to 1 (33.5% for precarious
workers vs. 9.1% for standard workers) (Koh et al., 2004). precarious
workers more often live on minimum incomes than do standard
workers: 697,000 (9.7%) in the year 2007, compared to 25,000 (0.4%)
of standard workers, according to the Knso. more recent Korean
studies revealed that precarious employment is significantly
associated with an increased risk of poor self-rated health, chronic
conditions, mental illness and poor health behaviours (more
smoking and alcohol consumption, less exercise, and fewer physical
examination) (Kim 2006; Kim, muntaner, Khang, paek, & Cho, 2006;
son et al., 2003). musculoskeletal disorders in particular have
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