[What Do You Think] Should Civil Servants in Charge of Complaints Be Allowed to Rest During Lunch Break?

Many Office Workers Express Inconvenience
"It Is Difficult to Obtain Documents at Other Times"
Clash Between Citizen Convenience and Civil Servants' Right to Rest

Recently, opinions have been divided over the introduction of a lunch break off-duty system for civil servants in charge of civil complaints. While local residents oppose it due to the inconvenience it causes to office workers handling civil complaints, the public service community argues that the off-duty system can actually improve the efficiency of complaint processing.

On the afternoon of the 11th, people are entering Yangcheon District Office in Seoul. Photo by Seungwook Park

According to the National Public Officials Labor Union on the 11th, the lunch break off-duty system for civil complaint officers is being implemented in over 100 local governments nationwide. It is a system where civil servants who deal with civil petitioners from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. take a break without shift work. It was first introduced in 2017 in places with fewer complaints, such as Goseong-gun in Gyeongnam Province, and has since expanded to metropolitan local governments like Busan and Gwangju. In some areas such as Seoul and Incheon, civil servants handling complaints take turns working during lunch hours.

Many office workers oppose the lunch break off-duty system for civil complaint officers. Kim Seong-jong (67), an office worker met in front of the Comprehensive Civil Service Office at Yangcheon-gu Office in Seoul, said, "Office workers cannot handle civil complaints unless it is during lunch hours," adding, "Even though civil complaints can be processed online or through unmanned issuance machines, elderly people find it difficult and cannot do it well." Choi (40), met in front of Sinjeong 6-dong Community Center in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul, said, "Even if online civil complaint processing is possible, there are complaints such as seal registration that require face-to-face interaction," and "It is difficult to obtain documents unless it is during lunch hours."

From the perspective of local government heads such as district mayors and county governors, it is difficult to ignore the dissatisfaction of civil petitioners, as it can affect votes during elections. Jang Kyung-hwan, Secretary General of the Seoul Regional Headquarters of the Public Officials Labor Union, said, "When meeting district mayors in Seoul, many are positive about the off-duty system," but added, "However, most say they will follow suit only if other districts implement the off-duty system first, due to concerns about residents' backlash."

However, there is also an opinion that the off-duty system increases work concentration and processing speed during working hours, ultimately benefiting civil petitioners. Lee Kyung-hoon, head of the Busan Dong-gu branch of the Public Officials Labor Union, said, "In Busan, the implementation of the off-duty system has sped up the processing time of civil complaints," explaining, "Previously, when two people handled the counter work, they worked in shifts from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., so effectively one person was doing the work of two, which reduced efficiency." He added, "On days when one civil complaint officer took leave, the remaining officer was so overworked that they could not even properly eat lunch," and "Such issues caused internal conflicts within the public service community, with some questioning why leave was taken."

Lee Byung-hoon, emeritus professor of sociology at Chung-Ang University, said, "As our society develops, there is a need to improve awareness regarding the working conditions of civil servants, but if lunch hour civil complaint services suddenly stop, residents are bound to resist," adding, "It is now a time when local government senior officials need leadership on how to persuade residents by looking at cases where the system has been established, such as in Busan."