Gov’t, ruling party to push for legislation for extended vacations

The government and the ruling People Power Party will work together to pass legislation allowing workers to take extended vacations without restriction. This action is in response to the controversy that arose when the revised working hour system was announced, which included a maximum limit of 69 working hours per week.

During a briefing after a breakfast meeting with the ruling party, government, and presidential office at the National Assembly on Friday, the People Power Party's Policy Committee Chairman Park Dae-chul said, “We discussed a broad range of topics to find an alternative that those who are in their 20s and 30s can support, exploring legislative options to enable workers to take longer vacations freely.”

This is seen as a response to the demand of the generation MZ to create an environment for them to take vacations when they want. The government had previously introduced the ‘work hour savings account system’ and plans to implement a more flexible work hour system that would allow long vacations. However, these proposals faced opposition from the labor sector and the generation MZ, who argued that they were unable to take time off. During a meeting on the Yoon Suk Yeol government's labor policy held at the National Assembly on March 23, concerns were raised about the feasibility of taking vacations, with one participant asking, “Can a new employee who worked extra hours last month confidently say that they can take three more days off?” In response, an official from the Ministry of Employment and Labor said, “The government and the ruling party have formed a consensus that addressing issues related to vacations should be prioritized.”

The government and the ruling party have also agreed to address the issue of promoting “free overtime” within the comprehensive wage system through legislation. During the briefing, Chairman Park said, “We discussed potential legislation to prevent abuse of the system, such as eradicating the misuse and exploitation of the comprehensive wage system and strengthening the worker representative system.”

During the briefing, Chairman Park emphasized the importance of a more flexible working hour system, saying, “The government's direction is to address the rigid and uniform weekly working hour regulations that currently exist.” When asked about the possibility of setting an upper limit on working hours, he avoided giving a definitive answer saying, “I am contemplating the matter.” It is interpreted as an intention to avoid being constrained by the same 69-hour limit. An official from the ruling party said, “The upper limit of 60 hours per week, as stated by the president, must be observed.”


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