A group of non-regular workers at LG Energy Solution has filed a lawsuit alleging that the company has been engaging in illegal dispatching practices, a violation of South Korea’s Dispatch Workers Protection Act. The lawsuit, filed in Seoul Southern District Court in February, claims that the workers were assigned to core production processes at the company’s Ochang plant in Chungbuk province, but were employed through a subcontractor, violating the law which prohibits dispatching workers to direct production processes.
Lee Byung-mun and Choi Sung-hoon, two of the plaintiffs, have been working at the LG Energy Solution plant for six and nine years, respectively, through a subcontractor called Proescom. They were assigned to the mixing process, a fundamental step in battery production.
Despite being unaware of the legal term "illegal dispatching," both workers felt that something was amiss. Lee recalled questioning why LG engineers were giving him detailed instructions, and upon comparing his wages to those of regular employees, he realized the significant pay disparity. "I felt a sense of loss, not just because of the pay, but also due to the basic treatment," said Choi. "We didn't have a separate rest area as subcontractors, so we had to use the same one as LG employees, but we didn't feel free to use it."
The workers decided to take legal action after learning about similar cases at Hyundai Motor and the subsequent victories of those workers. Lee said, "After comparing my situation to the cases of Hyundai workers, I was convinced that I was also a victim of illegal dispatching and decided to fight."
South Korea's Dispatch Workers Protection Act prohibits the dispatching of workers to direct production processes. The law aims to protect workers from exploitation by ensuring that they have clear employment relationships and can demand their rights from the actual employer, rather than the dispatching agency. However, despite the law, illegal dispatching remains a widespread problem in South Korea's manufacturing industry.
This lawsuit against LG Energy Solution highlights the ongoing issue of illegal dispatching in South Korea and the challenges faced by non-regular workers in asserting their rights.
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