• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.120-144
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• 2007

In 1997, in the course of overcoming economic crisis caused by the shortage of foreign currency there was a significant phenomenon, the irregularization of human labour resources. There was no exception in hospital, either. Most hospitals put a lot of thought to solve the problem about irregular workers. Between employee and employer the problem of irregular workers has been raised as a main topic of all. The objectives of this study were to inspect the actual state of irregular workers and to understand the positive effect of protecting irregular workers, recently established and revised, on the human resources management of hospitals. After enacting irregular labours protection acts there were many opinions that the labour rules of hospitals would be changed.(56.7%). The plan to solve irregular worker's wage issues would he carried out step by step, but some hospitals have not examined the plan yet,(81.9%). Many hospitals had a plan that irregular worker's wage would be actualized in two or three years.(78.3%) The method, to solve the problem of irregular workers arc as follows: 1) the introduction of functional wage system, 2) the convert from automatic rising wage system to annual wage system, 3) the incentive grade system according to management result, 4) lower functional group wage system, 5) non-term contract wage system. From the point of the opening medical market and securing competitive power of hospitals, it is prospected that irregular works would be increased also in future. So to manage irregular workers effectively would be essential in maintain hospital's competitive power and improve medical service. The result, of this study were a, follow: (1) In hospital, the ratio of irregular workers in hospitals was lower than that of all irregular workers in Korea. (2) In hospital, the wage level of irregular workers was higher than that of irregular workers in Korea. (3) In hospital, the social insurance application ratio of irregular workers was higher than that of all workers in Korea. (4) In hospital, there seems to be no appropriate and active measures to improve labour condition of irregular workers, yet. (5) In many hospitals, the policy of irregular workers would be expected to revised for the law standards. In this study the actual conditions and problems of irregular workers were proposed and it was expected to contribute decisions-making in hospital management, especially when using human resources.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.119-145
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• 2008

The objectives of this study were to inspect how the law effected on hospital employment system and which policy and strategy are needed to cope with the present situation as the law regarding irregular workers law has enacted for a year. To grasp the changes of employment style in hospital, 56 hospitals among 311 general hospitals were questioned in this study. And employment policy and strategy were developed by referencing examples of developed nations and other industries. The survey showed that the wage and welfare level of irregular workers in hospitals was improved compared to that in the other industries. But there were still much discrimination between regular and irregular workers. The policy direction of government is, first of all, to follow the principle of equal treatment to equal value of labour. The first feasible policy is to enforce social security. The second one is an employment promotion policy which reduces or exempts hospitals employing irregular workers from tax and insurance fee. The third one is to extend employment contract period to 3 years. and finally there are policies to permit more dispatched jobs and to expand the social insurance coverage. The strategies to solve the problem of irregular workers are as follows; 1) performance wage system, 2) guaranteeing employment by unlimited contract, 3) creating new category of workers, 4) the wage system of management by object, 5) the method of job classification. This study has a meaning in the point that it was studied on hospital which is special industrial part and analyzed the changes after enacting irregular workers law and presented management strategy for countermeaure program. In this study, it was expected to contribute to decisions-making in hospital management, especially when using human resources.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.182-194
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• 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate health status and to propose health protection measures of irregular plant construction workers in Yoesu National Industrial Complex (YNIC). The status of safety and health management was examined in five areas including safety and health education, work environment monitoring, health examination, health management record, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for plant construction workers. The safety training rate for plant construction workers was reached high at 91%, The training was mostly consisted of safety accident related things, but training on hazardous materials was found to be insufficient. Workplace monitoring results showed that the compliance rate for work environment for irregular construction workers was 54% and workplace monitoring during turnaround (TA) period with high risk of exposure to hazardous agents has not been implemented. While 61.4% of irregular workers received the general health examination but only 36.8% received the special health examination. The special health examination was found to be conducted only upon welders from 2-3 years ago. The issue of health management record upon irregular construction workers was not being implemented. In case of PPE, basic safety protective equipments such as safety shoes, safety belt, safety helmet were being supplied well while the supply rate of respirator for organic vapor was relatively low at 40%. Based on this study, two suggestions to maximize the utilization of the current safety and health program were made while boosting its effectiveness in protecting workers' health. First, the role of owners (petrochemical plant) related to safety and health should be strengthened. Second, in consideration of the characteristics of construction workers who usually engage in short term employment and frequent movement, community based health management organization is suggested that can overcome such structural problem and carry out the implementation of health examination and sustained health management.

• KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.95-136
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• 2013

Using Workplace Panel Survey of 2005, 2007 and 2009 waves, this study estimates the effects of trade unions on employment and the proportion of irregular workers, short-term and part-time workers, and agent temporary and outsourced workers. While the estimation result shows that the percentage of hired workers increases under union presence, these results seem to be contaminated with bias because the differences between unionized firms before union establishment and non-unionized firms are not completely controlled even after adjusting for observed characteristics. Meanwhile, unionized firms and non-unionized firms with grievance procedures employ higher proportion of irregular workers. The proportion of short-term and part-time workers increases only when they are entitled to join trade unions. These imply that the rise in the percentage of irregular workers due to unions and grievance procedures is attributed to the increase in the percentage of agent temporary and outsourced workers. Also, when short-term and part-time workers are allowed to join the union, the firm replaces agent temporary and outsourced workers with short-term and part-time workers, so that the proportion of irregular workers do not change.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 2023

The labor environment in Korea has changed and problems related to employment types are treated as important issues. Especially, the ratio of irregular workers has not only increased relatively, but the labor conditions in Korea also have worsened in the current years. Studies have reported an association between temporary workers and the prevalence of diseases. However, there is insufficient research on chronic disease and employment types. Methods: The current study examines the prevalence rate of diseases and health behavior by categorizing employment types among Korean adults. Data were obtained from the 2016-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Totally, the data of 2,366 workers (1,239 regular and 1,127 irregular) were analyzed in the study. The types of employment were classified by a questionnaire querying about working conditions. The results showed that irregular workers earned less than regular workers and had a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. We propose that if discrimination related to working conditions were relieved, irregular workers would be able to invest more time to exercise and doing check-ups regularly. In addition, individual nutrition consultations considering the knowledge and personal environmental factors of each individual are necessary for the improved health of all workers.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.101-111
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• 2021

Irregular workers, which have recently caused various socio-economic issues and conflicts, generally have low loyalty to the organization and job satisfaction due to anxiety about employment. As a way to improve this, this study attempted to analyze the effect of organizational communication satisfaction of irregular workers on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Among the 7th Human Capital Companies panel survey data, irregular workers survey data were collected and analyzed using the structural equation model analysis. The results were as follows: First, it was analyzed that organizational communication recognized by irregular workers had a positive(+) effect on job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Second, it was analyzed that job satisfaction had a positive(+) effect on organizational commitment. Third, it was analyzed that job satisfaction plays a mediating role in the relationship between communication satisfaction and organizational commitment. This study is significant in that it expanded the research subject to irregular workers from the existing service industry-oriented research, and that it included more diverse industries. The results of this study suggest that mission and vision sharing and communication activation system are needed to improve organizational effectiveness of irregular workers.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.1-45
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• 2017

The aim of this study is to analyze the process of the struggle and bargaining for the change of the employment position of the irregular (in-house subcontracted) workers being at work in the Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) plants into the status of the regular employee of the company, and evaluate the results and limitation of the irregular workers' movement. Since the unionization of irregular workers in 2003, they have carried on the struggle against and the bargaining with the HMC, over the past 10 years and more, making claims for abolishing 'illegal temporary agency work' and for converting their positions into the regular ones. The HMC have gradually altered a confrontational stance against the workers' claim at the early stage, into the bargaining relationship with irregular workers' union. Eventually, the collective agreement on the 'special hiring' of about six thousands irregular workers by the HMC was reached in 2016. We attempt to analyze in depth the overall process by dividing three phases of the movement, according to the criteria of the relationship between the alliance and conflict system, and the cycle of protests of irregular workers. Furthermore, we try to trace the long and winding path of the movement, focusing on the cooperation/conflict relationship within the movement's alliance system, the confrontation/bargaining relationship between the movement and the conflict system, and the critical roles played by mediators (or third parties) between two systems. In the conclusion of the paper, we evaluate the results and limitation of the irregular workers' movement upon the basis of the following points; the convergence of the workers' demands into the prime goal of 'becoming HMC's regular employee,' the breakaway of regular workers' union from the movement's alliance system, and a virtual extinction of irregular workers' union after the final labor-management agreement of 2016.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.53-77
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• 2011

The last decade has witnessed a surge of research interest in differences between regular and irregular workers in employment forms. Recent studies on estimating wage differentials between the two types of workers in employment forms have typically used the linear regression analysis. Our study utilizes a new methodology to estimate wage differentials between the two types of workers: data matching. Our method can perform better than the ordinary regression analysis because it carefully addresses the selection bias problem. Our results indicate that there is no significant difference in wage between regular and irregular workers.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.105-137
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• 2013

This paper proposes to examine the relationship between the two trade unions of Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) - those of the regular workers and of the in-house subcontract workers - around the issue of converting irregular workers to regular ones, which has been a social issue for a long time, and, furthermore, to find a desirable solution. The politics of the in-house subcontracting rotate around three axes: the conflictive collusion between the company and the regular workers'union regarding the internal labor market; the exclusion and resistance between the company and the subcontract workers'union; and the solidaristic conflict relationship between the two unions. After the final decree by the supreme court in 2012 the conflict and collusion/solidarity relationship of the three social actors have been amplified in scale - the continuous limping of the special bargaining between the company and the unions, the intensified conflict between the company and the subcontract workers'union, and the crisis of the collusion between the branches of the two unions are all evidence of this. A clue to the solution to the issues of in-house subcontracting in HMC can be found through reestablishment of the relationship among the three actors. In order to solve the in-house subcontracting issues in HMC, phased and lawful switching from irregular to regular positions, improvement of working conditions for the irregular workers, integration of the two unions (realization of 'one company one union'), and negotiated flexibility in the internal labor market will be required. Also to be considered are installation of a special committee for the issue, and utilization of external consultants. The result would be the possibility for the corporate labor market of HMC to be composed of regular workers, legal contract workers and directly-employed contract workers, which could be realized through bilateral relations of 'the labor and management conflict partnership'.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.21.1-21.11
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• 2023

Background: Recently, irregular working hours have become controversial issues in Korea. The health impact of irregular working hours on the work-related musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is scarcely researched before. We sought to investigate the association between irregular working hours and work-related MSP among South Korean workers. Methods: This study used data from the sixth Korean Working Conditions Survey in 2020. The prevalence of work-related MSP was analyzed using the χ² test. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the association between irregular working hours and work-related MSP. We conducted stratified analysis by gender, weekly working hours, and workers' control over their working hours. We calculated the adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of work-related MSP for irregular working hours combined with weekly working hours. Results: The OR for work-related MSP was significantly higher in the population with irregular working hours than in the population with regular working hours (OR: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-1.58). Irregular and long (> 52 hours/week) working hours have the highest risk of work-related MSP in both genders (in men, OR: 3.48 [95% CI: 2.53-4.78]; in women, OR: 2.41 [95% CI: 1.46-4.00]). Conclusions: Irregular working hours were associated with work-related MSP in Korea. The association was magnified with long working hours. Reform of the Korean Labor Standards Act leading to increase irregular working hours may induce adverse health outcome.