THE KOREAN DREAM
Gloomy side of Sri Lankan migrants in South Korea
To Sri Lankan migrant workers aged between 18-39, South Korea is a land of opportunity where they can earn around LKR 200, 000-400, 000. Under the EPS, applicants are selected based on their proficiency in the Korean language. Working visas (E.9 visa) are issued for those who succeed in the language proficiency test
Deaths of our men don’t even get reported in the media. Sri Lankan officials working in Korea don’t give us much support to solve our problems. They aren’t interested in addressing these deaths and issues of our men because they fear the Korean Government might slash the quota for
Sri Lankans if we start to speak up. That is why they stay silent
Meanwhile, with the increasing number of illegal Sri Lankan workers in Korea, the SLBFE has commenced legal action against them back in Sri Lanka. The ratio of illegal Sri Lankan workers is increasing and it is already around 17%.
Acoffin was rolled out of the arrival area of the Bandaranaike International Airport. Inside was the remains of twenty-four-year-old
Ganushka Madumal who drowned in South Korea in a boat accident. Madumal, who had never swum in Sri Lankan seas, was working in a fishing vessel in Korea. He was not even wearing a life jacket at the time of the accident.
A substantial number of Sri Lankan unskilled workers in South Korea are working under adverse occupational exposure and appalling working conditions resulting in serious health outcomes such as fatal occupational injuries, an investigation by the Daily Mirror’s newest segment Eye has unearthed. Sri Lankan workers in Ansan, the biggest foreigner-concentrated industrial area in South Korea opened up to
Eye about unfortunate work-related accidents where some Sri Lankan workers got crushed to death after heavy equipment collapsed on them. Some workers have died after being trapped under heavy machines and drowned in the sea just like Madumal.
However, very limited data regarding the issues faced by Sri Lankan migrant workers in South Korea is available in public domain. Eye also noticed unmistakable discrepancies among the data collected by Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), Foreign Affairs Ministry and Sri Lankan Embassy in Korea regarding unskilled Sri Lankan workers in Korea.
SEEKING ‘WONS’ IN KOREA
Korea has signed an agreement under the Employment Permit System (EPS) with 16 countries to fill low-skilled jobs in sectors such as manufacturing, fishing, construction, agriculture and livestock. The jobs available in these fields which are called ‘3D’ jobs (Dirty, Difficult and Dangerous) and are shunned by Koreans due to low pay and poor working conditions. According to official records at present there are 2.4 million migrant workers in Korea and the number has doubled during the past 10 years.
To Sri Lankan migrant workers aged between 18-39, South Korea is a land of opportunity where they can earn around LKR 200, 000400, 000 -- more than what they earn in their motherland. Under the EPS, applicants are selected based on their proficiency in the Korean language. Working visas (E.9 visa) are issued for those who succeed in the language proficiency test which allows them to work for up to four years and 10 months. According to SLBFE, the number of Sri Lankan migrant workers on the EPS is more than 22,000. However, these figures are not precise since Sri Lankans workers who are overstaying their visas are increasing alarmingly.
DIRTY, DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS JOBS (3D JOBS)
When Sampath (29) a fisherman in Jeju-do, Korea found working conditions in his first job so unbearable, he had no option, but to escape from the clutches of his cruel employer and become an irregular worker. Korean employers still hire irregular workers because their illegal status would prevent them from protesting against harsh working environments and demanding better treatment.
Under the EPS, migrant workers can only change job thrice the most during the three year period. Additionally, workers must obtain a release form signed by their employers in order to change jobs and find new employment within 3 months of leaving a place of employment. Otherwise, they lose their legal status and are thus subject to arrest. According to the Korean Immigration Office, an estimated
380,000 illegal migrant workers are staying in Korea. Despite the figure
3821 illegal Sri Lankan workers as reported by SLBFE, the acttal numbers are higher.
Sampath couldn’t obtain a release form from his first employer. He said that despite the current working place, a fishing vessel, is similar to the earlier place in terms of ill treatment and risks to his life. He had no alternative, but to endure the conditions in order to retain the job and send money to his family in Sri Lanka, who are wholly dependent on his remittance. He said: “My family back home has very high expectations of me. So, I decided to sustain the difficulties for the sake of my family.”
“It is very difficult for even a regular swimmer like me to get used to the Korean sea. Sailing without life jackets puts the lives of our workers in peril. My employer is also not letting us wear life jackets because he thinks wearing life jackets makes it difficult for us to move comfortably and work efficiently,” Sampath claimed.
He reported discrepancies between his contract and the actual work. “I am required to work long hours and night shifts. I am forced to serve tea and do cleaning too. We have not come to Korea to work as slaves. We provide a service for which we get paid,” he said.
Officials from the Korean Division of the SLBFE stated that workers who become irregular are even more vulnerable to exploitation.
Irregular workers like Sampath aren’t able to turn to the Korean Government authorities including labour officials and the police for assistance in the face of a problem because they may get arrested and later be deported.
SAFETY TAKEN FOR GRANTED
The workers engaged in 3D jobs are exposed to physical and chemical hazards, such as uncomfortable postures which cause pain and excessive physical loading, heat, noise and dangerous chemicals. Rasika
Gamage, a re-entry worker in Ansan, explained how workers’ safety is taken for granted by the Korean employers for the sake of meeting production targets. There are sensors and controllers set up in bulky and hard-to-reach machines in factories to detect the physical environments. When it comes to functional safety and reducing accidents in the workplace, sensors and controllers play an important role. In many cases, the full use of sensors means preventing injuries and accidents before they take place.
Rasika claimed that many factory owners have advised to remove the sensors and controllers, so that they could continue with the manufacturing process sans hindrance. “A close friend of mine who works in a nearby factory recently got both his hands crushed in a machine. Another friend of mine suffered severe burn injuries when a hot water pipe fell onto him. Another guy with long hair got his hair caught in a machine and his entire scalp got pulled out. He died during admission to the hospital. All of them are Sri Lankans in their twenties,” he reminisced.
Another Sri Lankan worker, speaking on terms of anonymity, said that employers seem to feel that they have no obligation towards unregistered migrant workers in helping them receive compensation or medical treatment.
“They simply threaten workers and state that they would report their illegal stay to the authorities,” he said.
Both Korean and officials of the Government of Sri Lanka have been deployed to provide assistance to migrant workers. However,
Charith (24) working in the manufacturing field in Ansan, alleged that they don’t receive the desired support from any of the officials.
“Deaths of our men don’t even get reported in the media. Sri Lankan officials working in Korea don’t give us much support to solve our problems. They aren’t interested in addressing these deaths and issues of our men because they fear the Korean Government might slash the quota for Sri Lankans if we start to speak up. That is why they stay silent,” Charith complained.
After pawning their properties and other assets, it wasn’t easy for them to arrive in Korea in the first place. Their stance is that no matter how appalling the work environment there, returning to Sri Lanka isn’t an option.
PROBLEMS WITH PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING
One of the main reasons for the increasing fatalities regarding Sri Lankan migrant workers in Korea is due to the lack of occupational training and knowledge relevant for the jobs.
Mangala Randeniya, Deputy General Manager (Training, Marketing & Recruitment) of the SLBFE said that following the skills test, a 10-day residential pre-departure training is provided by the SLBFE. The existing training programme is to determine the physical fitness of workers, he said.
However, there is a growing call among the workers for a change in the training programme. They said it should be longer and more practical. .
Sri Lankan worker Indunil Saumyarathna, who is now a Korean citizen after marriage, claimed that the training provided by the SLBEF is very similar to a military training; taking the form of workers being trained to enter a military school. He said “the training is of no use for our jobs.
When it comes to the fishery sector, the training provided is worthless.
There are so many youth, who have never waded on the water on the seashore when in Sri Lanka, who are now working in deep sea fishing vessels in Korea. Doing push-ups and running and getting a basic knowledge
of the language aren’t enough to work and live in Korea.”
Indunil is of the opinion that in order to reduce irregular workers, the authorities should take action to improve labour protection in addition to implementing immigration enforcement measures.