"Considering Mid-sized Companies' Labor Shortage in the COVID Era, 52-Hour Workweek Should Be Deferred"… Kim Eun-hye Proposes Labor Standards Act Amendment

Kim Eun-hye, member of the People Power Party./Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 8th, Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, proposed a bill to postpone the introduction of the 52-hour workweek system for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees for two years. The bill includes provisions to defer the application of the 52-hour workweek in consideration of the recruitment difficulties faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) during the COVID-19 era, as well as to reduce penalties to adjust fairness in punishment between large and small-to-medium enterprises.

On the same day, Representative Kim proposed the Labor Standards Act, which postpones the penalty provisions related to the 52-hour workweek regulation for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees for two years and lowers the penalty level to imprisonment of up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million won.

Kim explained, "When working hours are reduced, an increase in manpower is inevitable, but there are ongoing criticisms that the severe recruitment difficulties faced by SMEs, where many foreign workers are employed, due to COVID-19, have not been taken into account."

Additionally, the bill includes measures to correct the current law’s equal penalty provisions for large and small enterprises. Kim said, "The fact that the penalty level for both large and small enterprises is the same?imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of 20 million won?is considered unfair. We propose to reduce the penalty level for workplaces with fewer than 50 employees by half and prepare through a two-year grace period."

Kim emphasized, "While I agree with the intention to prepare a life with evenings for SME workers, the forced and uniform application that disregards industry conditions and labor-management consultations is undesirable. Securing more preparation time for small-scale workplaces and establishing a process for social consensus is a more urgent task."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.