Responsible for managing school meals on the wall of books, but 'employment insecurity'

[Anchor]
YTN reports on the poor treatment of nutritionists at the Children's Meal Management Support Center, which is in charge of managing meals at small daycare centers and kindergartens.

Many of them, most of whom belong to consignment companies, are contract workers and non-regular workers.

Moreover, if annual leave increases and wages rise, employment insecurity will inevitably increase.

In the end, the problem was the budget.

Reporter Yoon Sung-hoon reports.

[Reporter]
Ahn Young-ran and Seo Hyun-ji, who manage the meals of kindergarten and daycare center children with fewer than 100 people,
It's been more than 9 years and 10 months since I've been working on the wallpaper of
books, respectively.

Since everyone is a non-regular worker, Ahn has extended his contract three times, and Seo has to renew his contract more than two years later.

[An Young-ran / Nutritionist at Children's Meal Management Support Center] I'm a contract worker and I'm signing a contract every year and every two years. In my case, it's high-grade tea, right? When it comes to high-year cars, I feel anxious about working continuously due to the limitations of labor costs.]

Of the 236 children's meal management support centers nationwide, 220 are consignment companies, and 96% of the 2,300 employees belonging to this company are contract workers.

If a local government operates directly, employment is guaranteed as a full-time or indefinite contract worker, but there are only 16 places.

Contract workers' employment insecurity gets worse as their annual leave increases and wages rise,

This is due to the structure that if labor costs increase within a limited budget, business costs are inevitably reduced.

[Ko Sang-hee / Director of Yeosu Center, Food Service Management Support Center: It is organized in a structure that combines labor costs, business operating costs, and budget. If employee labor costs rise, it will inevitably be forced to reduce the business.]

It is difficult for nutritionists to endure only with a sense of duty.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the turnover rate of employees at the Children's Meal Management Support Center was 46 percent, and 33 percent last year.

When nutritionists who have experienced while working in the field leave, it is not easy to hire new employees due to poor treatment.

Since last year, nutritionists have set up a council and demanded better treatment by increasing the budget.

[Lee Min-hye / President of the National Council of Food Service Support: Since no one recognizes us as employees, we are not in any place and no one is willing to take responsibility for improving treatment. I think the fundamental system needs to change.]

An official from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, which is in charge of the ministry, also expressed difficulties, saying, "We try to secure more budgets for this, but in some cases it is not reflected."

In the end, it is pointed out that not only the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, but also the financial authorities in charge of the budget and the National Assembly, which has the authority to make final decisions, are urgently needed.

I'm YTN's Yoon Sung Hoon.