Employment Minister: "Comprehensive Supervision of Long Working Hours... Inspection of Parental Leave and Maternity Leave Conditions"

Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik is speaking during a meeting with the 'Saerogochim Workers' Council,' known as the MZ Union, on the afternoon of the 22nd at the President Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Lee Jeong-sik, Minister of Employment and Labor, has ordered comprehensive supervision of long working hours. The intention is to actively identify and eliminate inappropriate long working hours occurring at frontline workplaces. The minister also instructed to find ways to ensure proper use of maternity leave and parental leave.

On the 27th, Minister Lee held a policy review meeting at the Government Complex Sejong and stated, "During the preparation process of the working hours system reform plan and low birthrate countermeasures, we once again confirmed the concerns of young people and the public regarding violations of working hours symbolized by so-called 'free labor,' wage arrears, and the obstructive corporate culture that hinders workers' legitimate rights such as annual leave, maternity leave, and parental leave."

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the minister emphasized that only with improvements in awareness and practices can the purpose of the working hours system reform be realized. He instructed headquarters and local offices to firmly establish the rule of law in industrial sites through strong crackdowns and supervision this year to ensure the law is strictly observed.

First, he ordered prompt supervision of working hours-related cases received through the online reporting center and instructed to commence comprehensive supervision of long working hours as soon as possible.

He also stressed the need to grasp the actual conditions of working hours in all regular and ad hoc inspections, thoroughly analyze cases received through planned supervision of inclusive wages and fixed allowances as well as reports to the reporting center, and prepare effective supplementary measures.

In particular, the minister pointed out that many vulnerable workers are unable to properly use the current systems such as maternity leave and parental leave. He demanded focused supervision on the use of maternity and parental leave and the preparation of measures to strengthen effectiveness through large-scale investigations of actual usage in the field.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced a working hours system reform plan earlier this month to expand the maximum weekly working hours to 69 hours, but faced strong opposition from young workers and decided to review it from the beginning and collect opinions.

The ministry explained, "Following last week's youth consultations, from this week we plan to continuously listen to opinions mainly from small and medium enterprise workers, unorganized workers, and the middle-aged generation. We will also conduct opinion hearings by regional offices to hear diverse voices from the field regarding the working hours reform."