5 Day Labor System Be Introduced

Labor Minister Kim Ho-Jin announced yesterday, ``[The Ministry] will present an amended Labor Standard Act to the regular session of the National Assembly this fall, based on the agreement of the Korean Tripartite Commission to reduce the legal labor from current 44 hours to 40 hours and consequent reduction of the legal labor days.``

Minister Kim requested for the comprehensive discussions and to rush for an agreement to reduce the labor hours, at a dinner talk with the members of the Special Committee on Working Hour Reducing of the Korean Tripartite Commission, at the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday. ``The government already promised to improve the labor hour system,`` he said.

Minister Kim`s remark illustrates the government’s intention to change its position to move forward the reduction of the labor hours. However, sharply divided opinions on the abolition of the menstrual leave, the pay rate for the overtime, the adjustment of the monthly or annual leave, the schedule for the labor-hour reduction between the workers and the employers, and to forecast the tough roads to reach the final agreement.

Last year, the government promised the legalization of the 5 day labor system and KTC also agreed to reduce the labor hours to 40 hours a week on October 23 last year. However, the Special Committee on Working Hour Reducing of the Korean Tripartite Commission failed to reach a detail agreement on the matter.

The expert advisors of the Commission also submitted their suggestions to the Special committee workshop on May 26-27, Pusan. These are the suggestions made by the experts: the abolition of the menstrual leave is not the issue of work hour reduction, rather it has to be discussed at the amendment of the Motherhood Protection law; the preservation of the current 50 percent extra pay for the extra work hours; abolition of the monthly leave; and regarding the current Korean economic situation, the law needs to be applied to the larger corporations at first and later to all industries.

The employers circle remarked, ``The reduction of working hours is too early.`` On the contrary, the Labor circle, including the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, believes that the working hour reduction is already too late to begin. And FKTU is to oppose any labor hour reduction that results in the wage reduction and the aggravation of the labor condition.

Jung Young-Gwan yongari@donga.com