Government Employees Are Allowed To Take 3 Year Break

The government decided to introduce the `employment break system` that allows government employees, if hired by a civilian enterprise, to take a 3 year break. But, since many people criticize against the system due to the side-effect, such as possible corrupted relationship between the government and the business circle, a commotion is expected during the legislation procedure.

The government also plans to introduce the `part-time government employee` system, in which part-timers will be hired depending on each department’s situation or the peculiarity in the work description.

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) and The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (MOGAHA) settled yesterday the contents of the revised bill in the government employee law. They decided to send the bill to the National Assembly regular session after a vote casting by the national cabinet council members.

# Employment break system = According to the revised bill, the government is to allow the central government’s section-chief-grade officials (4th grade) and subsection-chief-grade officials (5th grade) with five to ten years of career experience, to take three years break if they get a job at a private company.

For this reason, the government decided to establish an `interchange center` in the MOGAHA, which will exclusively help the public workers to seek employment opportunity at civilian companies. A civilian-government committee will also be formed to examine the possible corrupted relationships between the public workers and the companies they want to work for.

An official of the CSC said, ``Japan and France, countries that have already introduced the same system, are preventing the potential of the corrupted relationships between the government and the business circle through strict screening procedures.`` `` To prevent possible corruption, the government will also exclude officials higher than the chief of a bureau and those who are in charge of buying supplies``, he added.

# Part-time government employee system = Part-time public workers are to be hired to cover the after business hours in the form of one year contract. The MOGAHA stated, ``Although each department will hire based on their need, librarians at the public libraries, postmen, street cleaners, and office assistants will be mainly needed.``

It is forecasted that once the system introduced, women who cannot work for the whole day, physically challenged people, elderly people, and highly-educated unemployed people will have more opportunities to find a government job.

The MOGAHA decided to gradually introduce the system because the system may damage the stability of the public worker’s society.

The ministry notified, ``Since about 30 percent of public workers in advanced counties are part-timers, if the system is introduced, it will help to increase the quality of their service. It will also provide more job openings while reducing operating costs at the same time.

# Additional Issues = Hiring of foreigners, currently limited to college positions, as public workers in the field of research, education, and technology will be accelerated.

And to protect the social identity, government employees can be removed from the office only in cases when receiving heavy punishment, such as dismissal, release from the office, or suspension. For those who return to the office after an honorary resignation, or those who are sentenced with heavier than imprisonment, the government can forfeit the given retirement lump sum grant.

However, since the article, which extends the maternity leave from 1 year to 2 years, has been excluded from the revised bill, opposition is expected from the female government employees and NGOs related with gender issues.

Yang Ki-Dae kee@donga.com