"Public Servants Are People Too" vs "Should We Use Annual Leave?" What Do You Think About the 'Lunch Break Off System'?

Civil Servants' Lunch Break Closure System First Implemented in 2017 in Goseong-gun, Gyeongnam
"Why Not Eat in Shifts?" vs "Better to Close Completely" Tense Opinion Divide
National Civil Servants Union Gyeongnam Branch and Changwon City Civil Servants Union "Losing Legally Guaranteed Right to Proper Rest"

On July 1st, when the lunch break closure system for civil service tasks was implemented at the civil service offices of five district offices and the Dong Administrative Welfare Centers in Gwangju, a related information board was installed at the Suwan-dong Administrative Welfare Center in Gwangsan-gu.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Recently, there has been an active movement, mainly among some local governments, urging the introduction of a 'lunch break leave system' to guarantee civil servants' lunch breaks. Related debates have been taking place on online communities.

This proposal suggests temporarily suspending operations at public institutions such as community centers and district offices from 12 PM to 1 PM, as part of ensuring civil servants' right to rest.

According to Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the Civil Servant Service Regulations, civil servants' lunch break is from 12 PM to 1 PM. However, local government heads may flexibly adjust the lunch break within one hour, considering the nature of duties, region, or the institution's characteristics.

However, places with fewer staff have been interpreted as having insufficient lunch breaks compared to others, leading to complaints in various locations.

On the 9th, the National Civil Servants Union Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters and Changwon City Civil Servants Union held a press conference in front of the Gyeongnam Provincial Office, advocating for the full implementation of the 'civil servants' lunch break leave system,' claiming, "Under the pretext of convenience for civil petitioners, the legally guaranteed rightful rest is being taken away."

Civilians have shown rather unfavorable reactions. Office workers, who typically work from 9 AM to 6 PM, often visit government offices during lunch hours. One netizen expressed dissatisfaction, saying, "Since the average lunch break is from 12 to 1, we also have to handle tasks during that time, so civil servants should eat from 1 to 2."

Another netizen criticized, "Police officers and firefighters sometimes work over 10 hours without eating when there's work. It's not like they are forbidden to eat lunch; why is it so hard to take turns eating lunch?"

Others raised their voices, saying, "Private company workers who must attend to customers eat lunch in shifts. Why do civil servants want to eat all at once?" and "It's not about not eating, but at least some consideration for the time." Some netizens harshly criticized with terms like 'iron rice bowl' and 'complaining with a full stomach.' They seemed to be greatly concerned about the inconveniences that might arise from introducing the lunch break leave system.

Netizens' Reactions Surrounding the Controversy Over Civil Servants' Lunch Breaks

Various opinions from netizens on civil servants' 'lunch break off-duty system.' Photo by Online Community

Also, if civil servants do not work during this time, people have to use unmanned civil petition machines, which many unfamiliar users view negatively. Some official documents can only be issued through civil servants, which is also cited as a problem.

On the other hand, opinions supporting the system have emerged, stating, "Civil servants are human too. Guaranteeing time to eat is a natural right." One netizen expressed anger, saying, "People are really selfish. Since I handle work during lunch, civil servants should serve even if they can't eat properly. Why shouldn't the legally mandated lunch break be properly guaranteed? If their own workplaces did that, there would be an uproar about power abuse."

A netizen who identified as a current civil servant handling civil petitions lamented, "I wish they would close completely. We work in shifts during lunch, but complaints like 'Why are there so few staff?' and 'Is it taking too long?' come up, and if assigned time-consuming tasks, we have to stop midway and can't go out for lunch."

Due to the unresolved differences in opinions, some have proposed supplementary measures. Adjusting lunch hours is a representative example. There are also suggestions to combine non-face-to-face and face-to-face services rather than closing completely.

Similar claims have been made in the past in the financial sector. The National Financial Industry Labor Union (Financial Union) submitted a 2018 sectoral central wage and collective bargaining demand including 'one-hour guaranteed lunch break' to the Financial Industry Employers Council. Currently, some regional banks such as Daegu Bank and Busan Bank are piloting and operating a 'PC-off' system like this.

The National Public Officials Union Gyeongnam Branch, Changwon City Public Officials Union, and Changnyeong County Public Officials Union are holding a press conference on the 9th in front of the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office to promote the implementation of lunch break leave for public officials. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In fact, countries such as Germany, France, Spain, and Italy, where such cases have been applied, close banks for 1 to 2 hours during lunch. At the time, Sung Nakjo, senior vice chairman of the Financial Union, predicted, "With the recent increase in mobile and other non-face-to-face transactions and the availability of automated teller machines (ATMs), some discussion is possible."

Similarly, the civil servants' union argues for the lunch break leave system, citing that most civil petition work can be handled through unmanned civil petition machines, and even if working in shifts during lunch, it is difficult to process cases when there is no responsible civil servant available.

Meanwhile, the civil servants' lunch break leave system was first implemented nationwide in February 2017 by Goseong County in Gyeongnam. It has since been implemented in Yangpyeong County in Gyeonggi, Damyang and Muan Counties in Jeonnam, Namwon City in Jeonbuk, and Jecheon City and Boeun County in Chungbuk. In July, five district offices' civil petition offices under Gwangju Metropolitan City became the first metropolitan local government to implement this system, and it is spreading to metropolitan cities such as Busan and Gyeongnam.