The Democratic Party Gathers Public Opinion on '69-Hour Workweek'... MZ Union Says "No Unpaid Overtime"

16th "Discussion on the Direction of Working Hours System Reform"
Yoo Junhwan, Chair of Saerogochim, "Legislative Concerns Are Significant"

President Yoon Suk-yeol has ordered a full review of the proposal to restructure the 69-hour workweek, prompting the ruling party to begin gathering opinions. The 'MZ Union,' mainly composed of the 2030 generation, clearly opposed the work hour restructuring, calling it "a flexibilization of unpaid overtime."

On the afternoon of the 16th, Im E-ja, the ruling party's floor leader on the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee, held a 'Discussion on the Direction of Work Hour System Reform' at the National Assembly Members' Office Building to collect opinions on the government's work hour restructuring plan.

At the meeting, Yoo Jun-hwan, chairman of the Saerogochim Workers' Council, said, "It is questionable whether the Ministry of Employment and Labor's announcement truly reflects the direction that workers want and whether that intention has been incorporated and fulfilled in the restructuring plan," adding, "The claim that there are sectors that need to exceed 52 hours per week is, at least, not a claim from the workers' side."

Earlier, on the 6th, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced a draft amendment to the Labor Standards Act that allows the extension of working hours, currently grouped on a weekly basis, to be changed from 52 hours per week to monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually through labor-management agreement. If the system is reformed, the maximum weekly working hours could be extended up to 69 hours.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, the MZ Union called excessive work in industries such as information technology (IT) and gaming an "unhealthy practice." Chairman Yoo pointed out, "Even if there are workers who say that working beyond 52 hours is necessary, this is an exceptional situation, and legislating it as a general rule raises serious concerns."

He continued, "The argument that unpaid overtime arises because of the 52-hour weekly limit and that flexibilizing overtime is necessary to eliminate it fundamentally points to the problem of companies forcing unpaid overtime, not the 52-hour limit itself. Flexibilizing overtime will not solve this issue," adding, "There is no law requiring companies that do not comply with the 52-hour weekly limit to meet the average 52 hours per week."

Yoo Jae-eun, a member of the Youth Policy Coordination Committee at the Office for Government Policy Coordination who also participated in the discussion, expressed concerns. He said, "The core of the restructuring plan is to expand the right to choose working hours through free negotiation," adding, "Given technological changes and the COVID-19 situation, the card of choice has been given as a response to labor market flexibilization, but it is essential to premise whether this choice can genuinely function for actual field workers."

He further added, "Policies that can be agreed upon in terms of purpose and intent must be realized, but the starting point of the current institutional debate seems to focus on whether the policy can effectively operate in the field."

In response, Representative Im said, "There is fake news claiming that making workers work up to 69 hours is killing them, but this is a gross distortion," explaining, "The intention is not to make all workers work 69 hours but to broaden the range of choices available to labor and management."

The ruling party plans to regularly meet with the MZ Union and others until the legislative notice period ends on April 17 to discuss the direction of the system reform. After the discussion, Representative Im told reporters, "There were negative thoughts and concerns regarding the leave savings system. People said, 'We can't even properly use our current annual leave, so what's the point of a leave savings system?'" adding, "We will listen carefully to many opinions until April 17 and make necessary improvements. The current bill is a government bill, but if amendments are needed, there is also the option of a member bill."

Attendees at the discussion included Representative Im, Kwon Ki-seop, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, Chairman Yoo, Jo Ki-hyun, CEO of UN Fine, Song Si-young, Vice Chairman of Saerogochim, and Lee Seung-gil, professor at Ajou University Law School.

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