"Demand to Integrate Time-Selective Converted Public Officials with Time-Selective Recruitment Public Officials After Abolition"

Jeong Seong-hye, Chairperson of Siseonje Labor Union, Meets Kim Moon-su, Chairperson of Gyeongsan Labor-Management Council on 20th, Demands Abolition of Time-Selective Hiring Public Officials and Integration with Time-Selective Converted Public Officials

Photo of Kim Moon-soo, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, meeting with the Siseonje Union (from left: Kim Moon-soo, Chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council; Jeong Seong-hye, Chairwoman of the Siseonje Union; Kim Jin-sik, Vice Chairman of the Siseonje Union)

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The National Part-Time Public Officials Labor Union (Chairperson Jeong Seong-hye) claimed on the morning of the 20th at 10 a.m. during a meeting with Kim Moon-soo, Chairperson of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, that the part-time public official recruitment system should be abolished and integrated with the part-time converted public officials.

Chairperson Jeong stated, "Contrary to the government's promotion that part-time public officials in general positions would have the right to choose their working hours when the system was introduced, there is no actual right to choose working hours. The appointing authority forces working hours without consulting the individual and arbitrarily changes working hours, violating Article 12 of the Constitution by enforcing working hours. Such abuses are occurring on the ground, and working hours are limited to a maximum of 35 hours per week. Therefore, the part-time public official recruitment system should be abolished and integrated with the part-time converted public officials," she argued.

She added, "Even the Chairperson herself, after appointment in 2015, experienced 12 changes in working hours due to the Public Officials Appointment Decree allowing the appointing authority to unilaterally set working hours. Despite being a public official, she had to take on a side job at an academy in the middle of her term due to financial difficulties. Currently, the appointing authority can change working hours at any time, causing constant anxiety about potential reductions. If the union chairperson faces this level of difficulty, the situation for union members in the field is even more severe," she lamented.

Since March 2021, the Part-Time Public Officials Union has submitted over 1,200 public petitions to the Ministry of Personnel Management requesting an amendment to Article 3-3, Paragraph 2 of the Public Officials Appointment Decree (Appointment of Part-Time Public Officials) to resolve the issue of working hour changes without the consent of the individual, making it the same as for part-time converted public officials, where working hours are determined by the appointing authority or the recommending authority only when the public official desires. They also held one-person relay protests in front of the Ministry of Personnel Management. However, the Ministry responded that "there is no discrimination as the working hours for part-time converted public officials are also regulated by Paragraph 2 to be set by the affiliated minister within the range of 15 to 35 hours per week."

However, the Ministry of Personnel Management's response was inaccurate. In the case of part-time converted public officials, the appointing authority sets working hours only after the individual submits a request to change part-time working hours, whereas for part-time recruited public officials, the appointing authority can change working hours at any time without the individual's application.

Additionally, part-time converted public officials can submit a 'Request to Cancel Part-Time Work' at any time to revert to 40-hour workweeks, causing reverse discrimination, the union pointed out.

The Part-Time Public Officials Union conducted a survey on September 21 targeting personnel departments of 243 local governments regarding changing the working hours of part-time recruited public officials from 15-35 hours per week to 15-40 hours per week. Among the 180 local governments that responded, 79 (43.9%) expressed support, and 37 (20.6%) stated they would implement the change according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety guidelines. Personnel departments that supported the change responded that "operating personnel with a 35-hour workweek causes difficulties in department assignments, and especially the 5-hour weekly gap increases the workload of substitute workers, so extending to 40 hours per week is necessary."

Kim Moon-soo, Chairperson of the Economic, Social and Labor Council, reportedly responded, "The demand to abolish the part-time public official recruitment system, which has about 3,600 remaining nationwide as of the end of 2021, and to integrate it with part-time converted public officials is not an unreasonable request, and we will consider it," according to the Part-Time Public Officials Union.

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