`Age and Job to Decide Non-regular Workers` Term`

The ruling Grand National Party and the Labor Ministry yesterday agreed to selectively extend the employment period of temporary workers.

The extension will be based on age and professions instead of lengthening the period for all temporary workers from two years to four.

The Labor Ministry held a closed meeting on the revision of the law on non-regular workers at the National Assembly Monday. It briefed Yim Tae-hee, chief policymaker of the ruling party, on the employment period of temporary workers and their working conditions based on precedents set abroad.

The ministry said Germany, France, Japan and the United Kingdom have differentiated employment periods for non-regular workers according to job and age.

German companies can hire temporary workers for up to two years but startups can extend the period to four years. In France, the period varies from nine months to two years.

The ruling party reportedly decided to survey companies on employment periods until early March, revise the Non-Regular Workers Protection Act based on the results, and pass the revision in the National Assembly before July.

The Monday meeting focused on dealing with opposition from organized labor over the extension of the maximum employment period for temporary workers and alternative measures. The selective extension was suggested considering the opposition from labor over the uniform extension, according to party members.

But the selective extension could also undergo changes in the event of opposition from labor.

Prior to this, the party, the ministry and the presidential office held meetings Jan. 22-27 and agreed to extend the mandatory employment period to four years.

Given differing opinions from workplaces and opposition from the labor circle, however, the ruling party has changed its stance.

needjung@donga.com