Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Council member Oh Eun-mi (Sunchang) urged for institutional improvements during her 5-minute speech at the 2nd plenary session of the 424th extraordinary session, pointing out the wage gap and discrimination in holiday vacation pay for non-regular workers at schools under the Jeonbuk Provincial Office of Education.

Oh stated, "As of March 1, 2025, there are 7,043 educational civil servants under the Jeonbuk Office of Education, responsible for basic school operations such as meals, care, administration, and educational support." She further argued, "Among them, 4,267 workers including kitchen assistants, meal helpers, cleaners, school safety guides, and care specialists face a situation where their salaries are cut off for 2 months during summer vacation, effectively forcing them to sustain their livelihood on 10 months' worth of wages annually."

She emphasized that the 2-month wage gap during vacation is not just a temporary difficulty but a structural issue threatening survival, stating, "The difficulty in recruiting new staff and increasing resignations disrupt not only meal services and care but also the operation of special education on school grounds." She criticized, "The continuity of education relies on the dedication of on-site workers, and the reality of shifting the burden of livelihood to individuals during vacations cannot be justified."

As an alternative, she mentioned cases from other cities and provinces, saying, "Gyeonggi Province Office of Education introduced living safety support funds during vacations, and Jeju Province Office of Education decided to convert meal service workers to regular employees to pay wages during vacations." She added, "There is no justification for the Jeonbuk Office of Education to delay based on financial conditions." She also suggested that by combining local education financial assistance and municipal contributions, financial burdens could be alleviated.

Regarding holiday vacation pay, she criticized, "While fixed rates are applied to national government civil servants, the Office of Education persists in fixed payments, perpetuating discrimination," and pointed out that it is an administrative act that ignores the discrimination resolution recommendation of the National Human Rights Commission.

Oh emphasized, "Support for livelihood during vacations and resolving discrimination in holiday vacation pay are not acts of benevolence but the minimum responsibility for the continuity and dignity of labor," urging the Jeonbuk Office of Education to immediately establish systems for △supporting livelihood during vacations △applying fixed rates to holiday vacation pay △implementing medium to long-term employment stability and welfare improvement measures.