Part-Time Public Officials' Union Urges Ban on Forced Changes to Working Hours

Petition Delivered to Assemblyman Lee Hae-sik Urging Swift Passage of the Bill in the National Assembly

The National Union of Part-Time Public Officials (Chairperson Jeong Seonghye) announced on January 22 that on January 20, it delivered a letter to Assemblyman Lee Hae-sik, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee (Democratic Party of Korea, Gangdong-eul), urging the swift passage of the amendment to the National and Local Public Officials Act. This amendment would allow changes to the working hours of part-time public officials only upon their own request.

The Siseonje Labor Union is delivering a petition urging the National Assembly to pass the National and Local Public Officials Act, which was jointly proposed by National Assembly member Lee Hesik. Provided by Siseonje Labor Union.

The amendment, sponsored by Assemblyman Lee Hae-sik on January 21, 2025, stipulates that appointing authorities cannot arbitrarily change working hours. The National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee's review report stated, "Considering the purpose of introducing the system was to allow those who cannot work full-time due to child care and other reasons to work as much as they can, it is inconsistent with the system's intent for appointing authorities to arbitrarily change working hours," and assessed that the legislative intent of the amendment is valid.

Chairperson Jeong Seonghye said, "If this law passes, the provision allowing appointing authorities to forcibly change the working hours of part-time public officials will be abolished, in line with the original intent of hiring part-time public officials."

Vice Chairperson Kim Jeongguk stated, "Since the Ministry of Personnel Management added a provision to the public officials appointment rules in 2018 allowing appointing authorities to forcibly change working hours, there have been many cases where part-time public officials who previously worked 35 hours per week were forced to reduce their hours to 20 per week, resulting in threats to their livelihoods due to salary cuts. I hope that this year the bill will pass the National Assembly so that such abuses of the system in the field will be eliminated."

Assemblyman Lee Hae-sik responded, "For the past six years, as a member of the Public Administration and Security Committee, I have worked to improve the part-time public officials system by raising issues and proposing improvements regarding limited-term appointments for part-time public officials through oral questions during government audits, introducing a prior notification guideline requiring appointing authorities to inform employees at least 14 days in advance when changing working hours, and hosting the 'National Assembly Forum on the Abolition of the Failed Part-Time Public Officials System' on September 5, 2025. I will continue my efforts to ensure that the amendments to the National Public Officials Act and the Local Public Officials Act, currently pending in the National Assembly, are passed."

Approximately 15 union members, including Chairperson Jeong Seonghye and Vice Chairperson Kim Jeongguk, attended the delivery ceremony for the petition on this day.