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A total 255,978 migrant workers, 96.2% of all undocumented migrant workers, registered during the voluntary register period which was given by Ministry of Law from March 25 to May 29. Among them 10,476 migrant workers came to Korea through smuggling, 151,313 are Chinese (Chinese-Koreans accounting for 91,736), 17,087 are Bangladeshi, 16,078 are Filipinos, 13,952 are Mongolian and 13,952 are Vietnamese. When classified by area; 234,000 live in the Seoul-Kyeongi area, 8,000 live in the Daegu area, 6,300 live in the Busan area and 2,500 live in the Daejon area.
At the beginning 180,000 of 260,000 undocumented migrant workers registered with the Ministry of Law, which is now faced with the new situation where it cannot prepare a new policy before next March because most undocumented migrant workers had registered. Now new problems are occurring after registration..
Firstly, some registered companies have held undocumented migrant workers passports and airline tickets. This is similar to the violation of human rights of trainees.
Secondly, the voluntary register means not giving legal status or work visas, but only a delay of departure until next March. Therefore, if migrant workers move to another company from their registered company they cannot presume to delay their departure and can be deported before next March. This sees violation of human rights happening, like delayed salary or seizure of salary until departure or threats of dismissal by the registered company.
Thirdly, because some undocumented migrant workers registered without enough information about it or their bosses refused to register, undocumented migrant workers registered with wrong information. For example, they wrote down the name of another companies or jobless status even though they were working.
This is especially meaningless to Chinese-Koreans who are working in the construction industry or restaurants. This situation arose from the Ministry of Law hurrying to have people register, without enough investigation or research about the companies, and company bosses not wanting to register.
Lastly, what can we do when the registered company goes bankrupt or closes, or when violation of human rights happens in the workplace?
These four problems have become a common after registration. I do not think the Korean government made allowances for them and needs to create counter-measures in cooperation with migrant worker organisations.
In regard to the first problem, it needs to be announced that migrant workers are not to give their passports and airline tickets to the registered employer, even if they offer to keep them safe. The Ministry of Law, which has a list of all the registered companies, has to tell them that they are not allowed to do this kind of seizure.
The second problem also needs to be controlled and supervised. If and when this problem arises, migrant workers have to contact their communities and counseling centers to help them solve it.
Finally, in regard to the third and forth problems, the Ministry of Law and Korean government have to create solutions. And if they do not, we have to ask for them.
Migrant workers have to organise, discuss and take systematic action to obtain new solutions and new laws to solve these problems.
Now is the time for all migrant workers to come together!