Passage of Amendments Unlikely
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) staged a rally against labor law revision with amendments related to flexible working hours and minimum wage determination pending at the National Assembly.
The KCTU held a press conference on April 1 in front of the National Assembly building in Seoul. “The government and the National Assembly are pushing ahead with labor law revision to worsen flexible working hours and the structure of minimum wage determination and even limit the three basic rights of workers by accepting the Korea Employers Federation’s request,” the confederation claimed, adding, “The revision lacking ILO core convention ratification is a declaration of war.”
Under the circumstances, passage of the pending amendments is becoming increasingly unlikely. The Environment and Labor Committee of the National Assembly announced that its subcommittee meetings scheduled for April 1 and 2 have been canceled and another meeting will be held on April 3.
Companies and businesses are becoming increasingly confused with regard to flexible working hours, which is complementary to 52-hour workweek. At present, 52-hour workweek is taking root in most companies with at least 300 employees. It is scheduled to be implemented in 21 sectors, including broadcasting, financial service and education service, in July. Without passage of the bills, the implementation is likely to lead to significant confusion. In the meantime, the government announced that it would not crack down on 52-hour workweek violators for the time being.