Originally Posted by
Charlie Zogs
Thanks for your input, Mr Lee. For the record, when I pulled up the Korean labor code prior to accepting the job I desperately needed, I discovered it was written in a language and an alphabet I do not understand and I did not have time to decode it, therefore I did not know for sure I was not protected. I appreciate there are people such as yourself that would take the time to research this answer and base your decision on whether or not to accept a position on the compensation provided by a company when you are terminated by that company.
As for the pay stub itemization, we only receive a monthly notification from the agencies that indicates the amount of money deposited in our accounts. We can request a year-end statement that assists in tax preparation but it only mentions the amount of tax paid and does not break it down so I am not sure if I have been paying Korean Employment Insurance. You are correct, nothing is preventing me from buying a ticket to Seoul, finding the Employment Insurance Agency and talking to someone there about any benefits I can claim. Great idea.
It is my understanding, that pilots at Japanese and Chinese companies have worked out voluntary leaves with some sort of income, or reduced work schedules with some sort of income, versus a clean guillotine. Korean Air did none of this.
To answer your question, I would expect any billion dollar company to exercise a level of benevolence and respect for employees they claim are part of the family or team, that have been loyal to the company and helped generate massive profits, by assisting these employees in some way instead of tossing them to the pigs as if they are worthless garbage. However, it has always been a one-way street at Korean Air, we have never had a pay raise other than the $1000 salary increase for a new 5-year contract and they do not provide any benefits such as medical insurance, so I am not surprised this street remains unidirectional, just disappointed that they choose to treat us in this fashion after so many years of loyal service to them.
It's not that I do not understand the situation that expats are facing in Korea. I totally get it that you do not know Korean language and agencies did not even bother to provide you with breakdown of taxes.
Thing is, there is no compensation, severance or even benefits for locals who are on LWOP or terminated such as those guys recently terminated at EastarJet. The only thing local Koreans have is national employment insurance. That's it, I'm not kidding.
The way I understand is, expats in Korea aren't exempted from paying taxes and social securities in Korea unlike AJX pilots in Japan. It seems you are either an American or Canadian based on your English spelling. You should ask your agency if the employment insurance was part of your taxes. If so, use the bilateral social security treaty such as Totalization Agreement (U.S) or Canadian equivalent to claim unemployment benefits in your home country.
This is the only insight I can offer.