"Where Does the Forced Mobilization of Gangnam-gu Office Employees End?"

Im Seongcheol, Head of the Integrated Union Seoul Headquarters, Posts "Where Is the End of Forced Mobilization?" on Gangnam-gu Office Union Board on the 24th, Raising Concerns Over 7-Day Workweek for Gangnam-gu Office Employees... Im Says, "Even Prisons Don’t Make Inmates Work on Holidays. Moreover, Assigning Audit Office Staff Daily to Workplaces Without Proper Manuals Is Like a 'Gangnam-gu Office Prison Camp'" Criticizing the Situation

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jeong Soon-gyun) is facing opposition from the labor union after requiring employees to work on Saturdays and Sundays.

Im Seong-cheol, head of the Seoul branch of the Integrated Labor Union, posted an article titled "Where is the end of forced mobilization?" on the union bulletin board on the 24th, criticizing the unfair mobilization of staff.

He began by saying, "I offer my deepest condolences to the Gangnam-gu Office employees who are mentally and physically exhausted due to overlapping tasks caused by the spread of Omicron," and added, "Although unauthorized staff mobilization has not been a one- or two-year issue, it is rare to see an order for seven consecutive days of work in Gangnam-gu Office, where two multiple labor unions have been established and are active, something that would not happen even in private workplaces."

He continued, "Upon receiving complaints, I never imagined that the concept of a week would include working seven consecutive days including Saturday and Sunday (statutory holidays), not just five weekdays," and criticized, "Even when mixing Articles 50 and 53 of the Labor Standards Act applied to private companies, employees cannot exceed 40 hours per week, with a maximum of 52 hours. Even if agreed upon with the employer, the maximum 52 hours assumes at least one day off on either Saturday or Sunday."

He raised his voice, saying, "It is natural that discretionary working hours, selective working hours, and compensatory leave systems are guaranteed within the 52-hour limit. At a time when the 52-hour workweek is being expanded to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, Gangnam-gu Office is imposing a barbaric seven consecutive days of designated work, as if it were overseas workers from the 1960s. Does this make any sense?"

Im also criticized self-deprecatingly, "Even prisons do not require work on holidays. Moreover, the audit office staff are assigned daily to workplaces without proper manuals, so this is 'Gangnam-gu Office Prison Camp.'"

If this were a private business, it would be punishable by imprisonment of up to two years or a fine of up to 20 million won.

Im stated, "All employee mobilizations require prior consultation with the labor union and appropriate compensation is essential," adding, "Weekend work must be compensated with allowances at least equivalent to on-call or duty pay, along with guaranteed substitute holidays. No matter how patient public officials are, orders cannot be given arbitrarily here and there, forcing sacrifice and service."

He requested that if this is undesirable, external outsourcing should be promptly pursued.

He also suggested, "When personnel are limited, simple tasks that can be outsourced for money should be budgeted and offloaded to reduce the burden on employees. Among the current mobilizations causing conflicts with the union, tasks suitable for outsourcing include department-specific call center operations, employee overnight duty issues, COVID-19 epidemiological support, and quarantine. These could be linked to job creation in the district’s job policy department."

He emphasized that from the perspective of the relevant departments, since this would create new jobs, there seems to be no particular reason to refuse.

Im added, "All employee mobilizations at Gangnam-gu Office should now be temporary until a new commissioned company arrives, and work orders should be issued for the long term. If issued short-term, employees hesitate to volunteer as their own work piles up, leading to dissatisfaction. By accepting volunteers as needed, providing incentives, and issuing long-term assignments of three months or more, the number of personnel mobilized will significantly decrease, and they can focus on COVID-19 support work without forgetting their own duties."

Finally, he concluded, "As the entire nation suffers, Gangnam-gu Office employees are also at the center of that suffering. Please actively support and consider them so that they have no regrets about their sacrifice and service as public officials for the residents."

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