4th Part-Time Workers' Union Chairperson Jeong Seong-hye and Secretary-General Kim Jin-sik Elected

Elected with 99.72% of votes on the 6th and 7th
Campaign promises include changing the desired weekly working hours range to 15-40 hours in local governments

The 4th Chairperson of the National Part-Time Civil Servants Labor Union (Chairperson Jeong Seong-hye) and Secretary-General Kim Jin-sik have been confirmed elected as sole candidates.

The election, held online from the 6th to 6 p.m. on the 7th, recorded a voter turnout of 76.43%, with candidate Jeong Seong-hye receiving 99.72% support.

Chairperson Jeong Seong-hye began her labor union career as the Publicity Director of the Part-Time Division of the 1st National Integrated Civil Servants Labor Union. She served as the 2nd Head of the Part-Time Division and is currently serving her third consecutive term as the 4th Chairperson of the National Part-Time Civil Servants Labor Union. She also holds the position of Vice Chairperson of the Civil Servants Labor Union Federation. Secretary-General Kim Jin-sik started as the General Affairs Director of the 2nd National Integrated Civil Servants Labor Union Part-Time Division and currently serves as the Vice Chairperson of the 3rd National Part-Time Civil Servants Labor Union.

Chairperson Jeong Seong-hye stated, "Since starting in the labor union in 2017, I have been dedicated for seven years to improving the treatment of part-time recruited civil servants. Through our struggles, we have achieved results such as the payment of special duty allowances for part-time positions (2017), application of civil servant pension to part-time civil servants (2018), expansion of weekly working hours for part-time civil servants to 15-35 hours (2019), integration of full-time civil servants and staffing (2021), and deletion of the clause on fractional staffing calculation (2022)."

She added, "However, many institutional loopholes and discrimination still occur in the field, which is why I decided to run for re-election. Currently, most workers with a 35-hour workweek actually work over 40 hours including overtime, but still receive pay for 35 hours, which is a problem that needs to be addressed."

Secretary-General Kim Jin-sik said, "According to Article 3-3, Paragraph 2 of the current Civil Servant Appointment Decree, 'The weekly working hours of civil servants recruited under Paragraph 1 shall be determined by the appointing authority or the recommending authority within the range of 15 to 35 hours, notwithstanding Article 9 of the National Civil Servant Service Regulations.' This regulation allows appointing authorities to forcibly reduce working hours, causing ongoing difficulties in livelihood. I myself have three children and was working 35 hours per week, but on July 1, 2023, the appointing authority suddenly reduced my working hours to 20 hours, causing me to suffer financial hardship for a year before recently returning to 35 hours per week."

He continued, "Since 2019, the Part-Time Civil Servants Labor Union has requested the Ministry of Personnel Management's Planning Division to revise the regulation so that the appointing authority determines working hours only upon application for change, to guarantee the survival rights of part-time recruited civil servants, but there has been no progress. Conversely, on June 24, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety newly established Article 81, Paragraph 6 of the 'Local Civil Servants Personnel System Operation Guidelines,' allowing appointing authorities to change working hours (excluding total working hours) or work types with prior notice if deemed necessary due to job characteristics or institutional circumstances. This excludes changes to total working hours, thereby protecting the survival rights and constitutionally guaranteed right to a dignified life of part-time recruited civil servants."

The part-time recruited civil servant system was initiated with the good intention of promoting work-family balance by the government, but it has become virtually ineffective due to the expansion of flexible work systems and activation of part-time converted civil servants. The government needs to show a proactive willingness to improve the system promptly, including expanding the weekly working hours of part-time recruited civil servants to 40 hours, for the sake of public service integration and efficient personnel management in central administrative agencies and local governments," he said.

The term of office for the 4th National Part-Time Civil Servants Labor Union executives is three years, until December 5, 2027. Their pledges include securing the right to apply for working hour changes, expanding the working hour range to 15-40 hours per week, establishing a 10% payment standard for the part-time special duty allowance, and abolishing the part-time recruited civil servant system. The elections for the 4th Vice Chairperson and Audit Committee Chairperson will be held at the 6th Extraordinary Delegates' Meeting on November 9.