"Over 200 SME Workers Complain 'Can't Endure 52-Hour Workweek'... Lee Young Says 'Will Convey to National Assembly'"

'Labor Regulation Improvement Urgent Debate' to be Held on the 5th
Demanding Abolition of Sunset Clause on 8-Hour Additional Overtime System and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Small and medium-sized business owners appealed to the government to ease rigid labor regulations such as the 52-hour workweek system and the foreign worker quota system, citing management difficulties and labor shortages.

On the 5th, 16 small and medium-sized business organizations, including the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, held a "Large Forum to Urge Improvement of Labor Regulations for Small and Medium Enterprises" at the Federation of Small and Medium Business in Yeouido, Seoul, inviting Lee Young, Minister of SMEs and Startups.

About 200 businesspeople belonging to small and medium-sized business organizations attended, including Hwang In-hwan, Vice Chairman of the Federation of Small and Medium Business, Choi Bong-gyu, Chairman of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business Convergence, Park No-seop, Vice Chairman of the Korea Women Entrepreneurs Association, and Kim Deok-jae, Vice Chairman of the IT Women Entrepreneurs Association.

They voiced about 20 urgent issues on-site, stating that they are experiencing management difficulties due to the rigid 52-hour workweek system and labor shortages. Specifically, they requested △flexibilization of the extended working hours system such as the introduction of monthly extended working hours △abolition of the sunset clause on the additional 8-hour extended working hours system △expansion of the employment limit per workplace for foreign workers △minimization of changes in workplaces for foreign workers.

Gu Gyeong-ju, CEO of E-Plus, said, "Small businesses with fewer than 30 employees have no capacity to cope with the 52-hour workweek system due to high inflation, high interest rates, high exchange rates, and rising raw material prices," adding, "At least the additional 8-hour extended working hours system should exist to supplement the insufficient workforce even a little, and if the system sunsets, we will have to consider the survival of the business."

Minister Lee Young, Ministry of SMEs and Startups [Photo by Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has temporarily allowed workplaces with 5 to fewer than 30 employees to work an additional 8 hours per week until the end of this year, enabling a 60-hour workweek. Unless the Labor Standards Act is amended, the 52-hour workweek system will apply to workplaces with fewer than 30 employees starting January next year.

Kim Moon-sik, Chairman of the Korea Gas Station Operators Cooperative, emphasized, "If both labor and management agree, the current extended working hours system, which is based on 12-hour units, should be made more flexible to at least a one-month unit so that work beyond 52 hours per week is possible," and added, "The additional 8-hour extended working hours system, which ends at the end of this year, should be maintained so that small businesses can continue their operations."

Han Sang-woong, Director of the Daegu Fashion Collar Industry Cooperative, said, "In the textile industry, domestic workers avoid employment, so foreign workers barely fill the labor shortage," and added, "The 20% increase in the foreign worker employment limit for the textile industry should continue to be applied next year, and a sanction system against malicious workplace changes by foreign workers should also be established."

In addition, small and medium-sized business owners proposed △improvement of the criteria for determining the minimum wage system and introduction of industry-specific differentiated application △extension of the special extended working hours approval period △relaxation of the punishment level for business owners under the Serious Accidents Punishment Act.

Minister Lee Young of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups responded, "Amid rising crisis awareness on-site due to recent complex crises and external factors, rigid labor regulations such as the 52-hour workweek system are reaching a point that could determine the survival of the industry," and said, "I will definitely convey the industry's difficult situation and urgent voices to related agencies and the National Assembly to achieve improvements."

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