Forced Mobilization Compensation Bill: National Assembly-Level Condemnation Resolution Proposed
Park Hong-geun "Ruling Party Must Present Convincing Labor Reform Plan if in Power"
The Democratic Party of Korea announced on the 8th that it will block the government's revision of the 52-hour workweek system. Regarding the government's forced labor compensation plan based on a third-party payment method that does not include compensation from Japanese war crime companies, the party decided to consider adopting a resolution condemning it at the National Assembly level.
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the same day, "To the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, workers seem to be subjects of exploitation rather than citizens," adding, "They are pushing forward a labor reform that increases the maximum weekly working hours to 69 hours."
Lee said, "Currently, our working hours are 200 hours longer than the OECD average, and the industrial accident death rate due to long working hours is also at the highest level," adding, "If the government extends working hours to a murderous level as planned, it is no different from forcing the people to death from overwork." He continued, "Especially from the perspective of workers who are in a ‘gap-eul’ relationship with employers, measures like ‘promoting long-term leave’ are either unrealistic armchair theories or statements that deceive the public," and emphasized, "The Democratic Party will definitely block the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s labor hour reforms."
Lee criticized, "Guaranteeing ‘work-life balance’ is not a favor or privilege but a natural and fundamental right of the people and workers," and added, "The era of increasing production by arbitrarily extending working hours is over."
Park Hong-geun, floor leader of the Democratic Party, also said at the meeting, "The working hours recognized as occupational disease for death from overwork are ‘64 hours per week for four consecutive weeks before onset,’ but if the unit for managing extended working hours is increased to a quarter under this revision, it means that long working hours up to the level of death from overwork can be forced," and added, "The Yoon Seok-yeol government is trying again to increase working hours and promote a ‘death from overwork society.’"
Park said, "This is a crucial livelihood policy that will change the ‘people’s evenings,’ but there was no ‘social public discussion process,’" and requested the ruling party to engage in discussions. He said, "Without proper party-government consultations with the ruling People Power Party, the Yoon Seok-yeol government has presented an immature labor hour reform plan to the public," and added, "As the ruling party, the People Power Party should abandon ‘blind loyalty to Yoon’s will’ and propose a new, improved plan that the public can accept through party-government consultations."
He continued, "I clearly state that the Democratic Party will never agree to legislation that regresses the lives of the people through one-way and arbitrary policies."
Meanwhile, regarding the forced labor compensation plan, Lee said, "The Democratic Party will use all means to oppose the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s anti-historical, anti-human rights, and anti-national collusion and submission," and added, "We will actively consider promoting a resolution condemning the ‘humiliating forced labor compensation plan withdrawal’ at the party level."
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