Gyeongnam Public Officials Union Calls for 6.6% Wage Increase Next Year

Fixed Meal Allowance, Position Allowance, Holiday Bonus, Longevity Allowance, and More

The Public Officials Union in the Gyeongnam region has called for a 6.6% wage increase for all public officials next year.

On June 19, the National Public Officials Labor Union Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters and the National Public Officials Labor Union Fire Headquarters Changwon Fire Branch held a press conference at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Press Center and announced their demands for a wage increase for public officials for 2026.

Kang Sudong, head of the Public Officials Union Gyeongnam Headquarters, is announcing the 2026 wage increase plan. Photo by Lee Seryoung

The demands include: a 6.6% wage increase; a 30,000 KRW increase in the fixed meal allowance; a 35,000 KRW increase in the position allowance for grade 6 and below; an increase in the overtime pay reduction rate to 60%; a 70% increase in holiday bonus; and a 10 percentage point increase in the longevity allowance for each year of service.

The union also called for the establishment and implementation of a five-year plan to ensure that public official wages reach 100% of those at private businesses with 100 or more employees.

The National Public Officials Labor Union Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters and the National Public Officials Labor Union are holding a press conference urging a wage increase for 2026. Photo by Lee Seryeong

The union stated that the requested wage increase rate was determined by taking into account the projected economic growth rate for next year of 1.6%, the projected consumer price index of 1.8%, and an additional 3.2% to reflect the public official wage catch-up rate with the private sector.

Kang Sudong, head of the Public Officials Union Gyeongnam Headquarters, said, "This is the minimum demand to boost the morale of public officials who are burdened not only with their core duties but also with emergency work related to disasters, election mobilizations, and various events. We urge the new government to fully accept these demands."