The Korea Federation of Micro Enterprises expressed regret over the failure of the differentiated minimum wage proposal for next year at the 6th plenary session of the Minimum Wage Commission, calling it "a decision that ignores the crisis facing small business owners."
On June 20, the Federation stated in a commentary, "Differentiated application of the minimum wage is not discrimination, but an urgent plea directly tied to the survival of small businesses and the preservation of jobs." The Federation added, "We are compelled to fundamentally question both the Minimum Wage Commission and the minimum wage system itself, as the Commission has once again disregarded the clear legal basis in Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Minimum Wage Act, which states that 'the minimum wage may be applied differently depending on the type of business.'"
The Federation continued, "The Minimum Wage Commission must apologize to the countless vulnerable workers who are deprived of employment opportunities as a result of serving as a scapegoat for the vested interests of large company labor unions." It added, "The only way for the Commission to atone, even slightly, for the mistakes of this decision is to prioritize the crisis of small business owners when determining next year's wage level."
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