Monthly wages for skilled workers in steel
mills, iron works, and mining operations have been raised to as much as one
million KRW per month (about USD $121), according to inside sources. Certain
iron and steel mills are back in full operation, which means they need skilled
operators to do the heavy lifting and ensure the facilities function at full
capacity. The pay is being raised proportionally in hopes that managers can
stimulate interest in the positions and motivate the workers.
In a telephone conversation with the Daily
NK on October 23rd, a source from North Hamgyong Province said, “Now that
factories like the Chongjin based Kim Chaek Iron Mill and the Kim Chaek- based
Songjin Steel Mill are getting back down to business, they’re offering monthly wages
of up to one million KRW (about USD $121) to lure in premium miners and
millers.”
An independent source in the same province
as well as an additional source in South Hamgyong Province corroborated this
news.
The North Hamgyong Province-based Musan
Mine, the Kim Chaek Iron Mill, and the Songjin Steel Mill are paying this new
high wage to rock drillers, heavy diggers, and smelters. There are other
openings for workers who assist these heavy operators but their earnings are
lower, typically ranging from 100,000-300,000 KRW per month (about USD
$12-$36).
“However, these payments are only disbursed
after the workers reach their targets. If they can’t complete the tasks on
time, their pay is docked accordingly,” the source explained.
“The factories offering up the top wage
bracket of one million KRW per month include large scale steel mills, iron
works, mines, and military equipment production facilities. Light industries
such as food and convenience goods production, light manufacturing, foreign
currency earning businesses, and trading companies are getting paid
approximately 3,000 KRW – 5,000 KRW (about USD $0.36 – $0.60).”.
The wage hike, he added, is a bid by the authorities to stop grumblings circulating that workers in state positions are paid
less than low-level market peddlers. As a result, at least for the time being, mill and mine specialists who left the
mills to earn a living and provide for their families in the marketplace are
now returning back to the mills, lured in by the promise of better pay.
According to inside sources, one million
KRW is enough to maintain a decent standard of living and provide for a family
of four over the course of a month. The source also made clear that the purpose
of these wage increases is to reverse the trends of workers being distracted at
or leaving state jobs in favor of trading in the marketplace. That pattern
began during a famine in the 1990s when the state stopped providing food
through the public distribution system to most residents and wages to state
workers all but evaporated.
When asked about the working climate in the
mills, he responded, “The workers inside these factories are complaining quite
a bit. Since there is such a large disparity in pay, those receiving less are
feeling resentful towards the top earners. They are complaining that they
deserve a pay hike just as much as anyone else.”
As to how ordinary residents are taking the
news, he said that opinions are divided, noting, “The cost of living is getting
a bit more costly, so even if you earn one million KRW, it’s hard to live
really comfortably. Others were quick to point out that if service of the mills
cuts out, as it has many times in the past, the workers’ wages are liable to
drop off. For that reason working in the markets has more job security.”
