Legal Basis Established for the Establishment of the Public Officials' Workplace Council 'National Federation Council'

원본보기 아이콘

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A legal basis has been established to allow the formation of a National Federation of Public Officials' Workplace Councils.

Lee Hyung-seok, a member of the National Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangju Buk-gu Eul), announced on the 5th that the "Partial Amendment Act on the Establishment and Operation of Public Officials' Workplace Councils," which he sponsored, was adopted as an alternative and passed by the plenary session of the National Assembly.

The current Public Officials' Workplace Council Act stipulates that only one workplace council can be established per institution where the head is at grade 4 or higher.

The problem is that since there is no legal basis for public officials' workplace councils to form inter-institutional federations, even if they negotiate with their respective institution heads on matters such as improving working conditions and handling grievances, if the decision-making authority lies with a higher-level institution, it is difficult to implement the agreed-upon matters.

To resolve this issue, Assemblyman Lee pushed for a legal amendment. With the passage of the amendment in the National Assembly on this day, public officials' workplace councils can now conduct efficient consultations on issues that are difficult to resolve at the individual institution level.

Additionally, the amendment includes provisions to significantly expand the scope of activities of workplace councils, which were previously limited to "consultations with the institution head during working hours."

Furthermore, the amendment includes the deletion of the grade-level restriction for membership in workplace councils for those at grade 6 or below, the addition of matters related to the prevention of sexual harassment and bullying within the workplace to the consultation agenda with institution heads, and the disclosure of the implementation status of agreed matters between the institution head and the council.

Assemblyman Lee stated, "Once the amended law is enforced, the formation of a nationwide federation of workplace councils will become possible. Through opinion gathering at the federation level, a horizontal organizational culture where workplace councils and institutions can cooperate and develop together will be established, serving as a stepping stone for democratic organizational management."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.