Korea pushes to raise cap on maximum weekly work hours

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

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Sat, December 9, 2023 | 18:26

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Korea pushes to raise cap on maximum weekly work hours

Posted : 2023-03-06 16:27

Updated : 2023-03-07 11:58

Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik announces a set of measures to reform the country's workweek system at Government Complex in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

By Jun Ji-hye

The pro-business Yoon Suk Yeol administration seeks to extend a mandatory 52-hour cap on the workweek, introduced by the previous Moon Jae-in government, following long-standing complaints raised by employers over what they claim is a lack of flexibility of working hours and difficulties in meeting deadlines.

The core of the revised measures announced by the government, Monday, is to enable companies to increase the maximum weekly work hours to 69 and allow workers to take longer vacations.

While business circles welcomed the announcement, the government's move to overhaul the workweek system is expected to face resistance due to objections from opposition parties as well as labor groups.

The government announced the measures after a meeting presided over by Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho.

The existing workweek system was introduced in 2018 by the liberal president at the time to reduce the maximum work hours from 68 hours to 52 per week ― 40 regular hours with 12 hours of possible overtime.

Businesses have complained that there were no sufficient guidelines customizable to each industry, although the characteristics of each differ. Under the existing system, employers face criminal punishment if even one employee works for one more hour than the mandatory 52 hours a week.

The government concluded that managing overtime solely on a weekly basis has been irrational and decided to allow companies to manage extra work hours also on a monthly, quarterly, semiannual or yearly basis.

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2023-03-06 16:48 | Companies

This will extend the maximum weekly work hours to 69, according to the government, enabling employees to choose more hours during weeks with heavy workloads and fewer hours during weeks with less work.

A job seeker looks at bulletin boards displaying working hours and conditions of companies at an employment center operated by the government in Seoul's Mapo District, Monday. Yonhap

In a bid to guarantee long vacations, such as a one-month holiday, the government decided to introduce the so-called "working hours savings system," so employees can save vacations created from their overtime work and combine them with their annual holidays.

The government also decided to create more options for break times. Under the existing system, 30 minutes and one hour are respectively given as break times for those who work for four hours and eight hours.

This system sometimes created awkward situations as some employees who worked for four hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. had to stay for another 30 minutes to take a rest as stipulated by the law, although they wanted to go home sooner.

To solve this problem, the government decided to create a new option allowing workers who work for four hours to choose to skip their 30-minute break time.

"We will focus on giving more flexibility and choices in work hours, so employees can work and take a rest when they want to," Choo said.

Still, several measures announced by the government are subject to the revision to the law, which requires National Assembly approval.

Given that the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and the minor opposition Justice Party are expressing their objections to the government's measures, the revision is expected to face a bumpy road ahead.

The DPK holds a majority in the labor committee as well as the Assembly, with the support of the Justice Party.

Business circles and labor groups showed mixed reactions to the government's move to reform the system.

The Korea Enterprises Federation welcomed the move, saying, "It will be the starting point of overhauling old laws and systems for labor reforms."

On the other hand, the country's two biggest umbrella labor organizations ― the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions ― criticized the government's announcement, claiming that the measures will only benefit employers and force labors to work longer hours.

The government plans to send the revision to the Assembly for approval in June or July after listening to public opinions on the proposal until April 17.

jjh@koreatimes.co.kr