Posted August. 28, 2001 08:29,
Ministry of Labor announced yesterday that it decided to delay the early-September deadline of the business, labor and government agreement on a five-day workweek for legislation till September 15th.
Kim Ho-Jin Minister of Labor had a talk with Lee Nam-Soon, chairperson of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), and 28 representatives of unions under the FKTU yesterday, and urged for the prompt agreement saying that ``if the business, labor and government agreement on the reduced working hours cannot be made by September 15th, it is impossible to submit the bill to the National Assembly within this year.``
In relation to this, Paik Il-Chun, director of the Labor Standard at the Ministry of Labor, said that, ``It takes at least 60 days to present a bill to the National Assembly. The government`s legislative procedure should begin on September 15th to prepare for deliberation of a bill, which will take place on November 10-15.``
However, Lee Jeong-Sik, chief of the external collaboration at the FKTU, said that ``the Ministry of Labor` calculation is based on the premise that no agreement will be made, and the government intends to enforce the independent legislation. We will continue negotiation and struggle without being restricted by a timeline.``
Prior to the talk, the FKTU held each industrial representative`s meeting, and reconfirmed the principle of `reduction of working hours without deteriorating working condition`.
The FKTU was reported to plan not to compromise three major issues in relation to a five-day workweek. Three major issues include a flexible work hour of 3-6 months (public committee and the business circle proposed one year), at least 22-day annual-monthly vacation (public committee proposed 18-day vacation), and the maintenance of a paid menstrual vacation (public committee proposed non-paid vacation).
A FKTU official said that ``for now, we cannot accept the public committee`s proposal. In preparation for the long-term negotiation, we will decide for the next direction of struggle hereafter at the representative meeting on September 13th.``
Meanwhile, the Korea Tripartite Commission is to hold an extended operating committee meeting on 28th and plans to decided what to report at the general meeting (scheduled on September 6th). It is highly possible that the Ministry of Labor will settle the government`s bill based on this report.
A Korea Tripartite Commission official said, ``In order to meet the deadline suggested by the government, agreement should be made with great swiftness at the general meeting on September 6th. However, it is realistically impossible.``