[National Assembly Audit Hot Figure] "Ministry of Labor's Wage Delay Power Abuse"... Woo Jaejun Exposes Contradictions

Labor Ministry Delays 73.6% of Payments to Government-Appointed Labor Attorneys
Regulation Allowing Payment Delays Beyond 14 Days in "Special Circumstances" Criticized

On October 27, Woo Jaejun, a member of the People Power Party, identified and criticized the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s delayed payments to government-appointed labor attorneys, as well as the internal regulations that enabled such delays. He was noted for highlighting the contradictions within the ministry, which is responsible for overseeing and managing wage arrears.

During the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee audit on October 27, which covered the Economic, Social and Labor Council, the Central Labor Relations Commission, the Minimum Wage Commission, the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Reexamination Committee, and regional offices under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Woo criticized the ministry for delaying payments in 53 out of 72 cases (73.6%) involving government-appointed labor attorneys. He also pointed out to the Central Labor Relations Commission that, as of last year, there were 2,700 cases handled, with delayed payments occurring in 520 of them. Government-appointed labor attorneys are representatives assigned by the ministry to assist workers earning less than 3 million won per month who have been unfairly dismissed or discriminated against by their employers.

Woo further criticized the ministry by referencing text messages and emails received by government-appointed labor attorneys from regional labor offices, stating, "This year’s budget has been fully exhausted, so allowances will be paid later." He said, "If a regular company said, 'We don’t have money now, so we’ll pay wages later,' wouldn’t that be a violation? But is it acceptable for the Ministry of Employment and Labor to do this? With the ministry taking such an attitude, how can any company in Korea be expected to pay wages on time?" Lee Hyeonok, Director General of Labor Policy at the ministry, responded, "While this is not a legal wage arrears issue, I agree that delaying payment is highly undesirable," and added, "We will do our best to secure an appropriate budget in the future."

However, Woo continued his criticism by pointing to a proviso in the Enforcement Rule of the Wage Claim Guarantee Act, which states that "if there are special circumstances such as budgetary constraints, payment may be delayed beyond 14 days." He argued, "Isn’t this effectively an abuse of power by the ministry? If budget shortages are a problem, they should have found a solution from the start."

Woo, a former lawyer, has long focused on the treatment and activities of industrial accident victims and government-appointed labor attorneys through his committee work, which led him to raise this issue. In a phone interview with The Asia Business Daily, Woo explained, "I heard from government-appointed labor attorneys that these wage delays are happening routinely and culturally, and upon investigating, I found the regulations to be problematic." He added, "The ministry must be embarrassed that it is responsible for wage arrears, and I believe the issue of delayed payments and the enforcement rules will be corrected. If this problem, which has been pointed out this year, happens again next year, I believe it would be grounds for the minister’s dismissal."