'Flexible Working Hours' MZ Generation Persuasion Battle... Concerns Over Overwork Society Remain

Yoon Calls MZ Union's Chicken and Beer Gathering Directly
Party and Government Unite to Tackle Working Hours Reform
Youth Generation Still Resists... Concerns Over Overtime and Overwork
Employment Ministry Faces 'Communication Breakdown' Controversy... Multiple Challenges Ahead

President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at a luncheon for welfare and labor field workers held on the 23rd at the Blue House State Guest House. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The government is making every effort, including holding daily meetings, to persuade the younger generation who oppose the working hours system reform plan. However, as there are still no clear measures against the anticipated issues such as 'free overtime' or 'work overload' resulting from the reform, the opposition sentiment shows little sign of subsiding.

Yoon Administration and Ministry of Employment Strive to Persuade Youth

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor and labor circles on the 25th, Minister Lee Jeong-sik of the Ministry of Employment is increasing meetings with young workers and continuing communication efforts. After the working hours system reform plan announced on the 6th faced strong backlash, Minister Lee stated he would "collect opinions" and began supplementary work. Since President Yoon Seok-yeol instructed to "implement measures that specially consider vulnerable labor groups," the government intends to review the plan from the beginning.

Subsequently, Minister Lee met with the so-called MZ (Millennial + Generation Z) labor union called the 'Saerogochim Workers' Council,' young workers from the manufacturing company 'PIMS,' and the youth union 'Youth Union.' At these meetings, Minister Lee promised to devise supplementary measures to reduce actual working hours and also to prepare countermeasures against long working hours and 'free overtime,' which are the main concerns of workers.

President Yoon also personally called during the 'Chimaek meeting' (chicken and beer gathering) between the MZ generation labor union and the 'Youth Party-Government-Presidential Office' (party, government, presidential office) consisting of the People Power Party's youth leadership, youth policy officials from the presidential office, and Ministry of Employment officials. According to Kim Byung-min, a senior member of the People Power Party who attended the meeting, President Yoon said, "If young workers share their difficulties and hopes, we will carefully reflect them from policy design onward."

On the 23rd, President Yoon also stated at a luncheon event for welfare and labor field workers held at the Blue House State Guest House, "We plan to implement measures that specially consider vulnerable labor groups with weak bargaining power and choice options."

Members of the youth labor union, Youth Union, are holding a box containing messages they want to convey to Minister Lee Jeong-sik of the Ministry of Employment and Labor during a press conference held on the 24th in front of the Seoul Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, ahead of the scheduled meeting with the minister that day. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Opposition to '69-Hour Workweek' Persists... Ministry of Employment Faces 'Lack of Communication' Controversy

However, concerns remain regarding the government's direction to expand the maximum weekly working hours. Prior to the meeting with Minister Lee, Youth Union held a press conference the day before, stating, "The legal working hours are 40 hours per week," and criticized, "It is very problematic to define 52 hours per week as the legal working hours and then propose to flexibilize based on that."

In a survey conducted by Youth Union targeting 222 young workers, respondents expressed opinions such as "If more people are not hired, the workload will concentrate on one person," "Time to raise children must be provided," and "Funds cannot be used during holidays." The Ministry of Employment explains the government plan as "a system that allows working intensively during busy times and taking long vacations during free times," but many on the ground hold a negative view, saying, "Work will be done as usual, but vacations will not be taken."

Rather, the Ministry of Employment suddenly switched the meeting with Youth Union to a closed session the day before, sparking controversy over 'lack of communication.' While meetings with workers from large corporations' office jobs or workplaces with well-recorded working hours were held publicly, meetings likely to produce critical feedback were made private, leading to speculation that this was an attempt to manage public opinion. Youth Union responded, "We only wanted to convey the opinions of young people, so we do not understand why the meeting was switched to a closed session."

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik is delivering a greeting at the "Manufacturing Youth Workers Meeting" held on the afternoon of the 23rd at PIMS, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) mask manufacturer in Namdong-gu, Incheon.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Misuse of Comprehensive Wage System, Difficulties in Taking Leave... Multiple Challenges

The government, which initially intended to introduce the '69-hour workweek' system under the pretext that the MZ generation desires it, is now in a difficult situation. Expanding the management unit of working hours, currently limited to a maximum of 52 hours per week (40 regular hours + 12 overtime hours), to monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual units to allow concentrated work in certain weeks was a campaign pledge of President Yoon, but it has hit a wall due to opposition from not only large labor unions but also MZ generation unions.

The government is expected to focus on persuading both management and labor sectors by flexibilizing the working hours system while preparing measures to address workers' biggest concerns such as free overtime and guaranteed use of leave. Inside and outside the government and labor circles, measures under consideration include mandating the management of working hours records to eradicate the misuse of the comprehensive wage system, which causes free overtime, or strictly limiting the comprehensive wage system itself.