National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee Passes Bill to Introduce Time-Off System for Public Officials and Teachers' Unions

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee has passed the so-called time-off system that exempts working hours for union duties of public officials and teachers.

On the 4th, the Environment and Labor Committee held a plenary session and approved the "Partial Amendment to the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Public Officials' Labor Unions" and the "Partial Amendment to the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Teachers' Labor Unions," among others.

The two bills passed today by the Environment and Labor Committee allow public officials and teachers to perform union maintenance and management duties without loss of pay, within the limits of working hours exemption stipulated in collective agreements.

Currently, for full-time union officials among public officials and teachers, leave of absence orders are issued, payment of wages is prohibited, and time-off cannot be utilized. With this revision, public officials and teachers' unions will be able to engage in union activities without loss of pay.

The amendment stipulates that the exemption hours and the number of users will be determined by the Economic, Social and Labor Council, considering the characteristics of labor relations for public officials and teachers, and that related information will be disclosed.

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