The government has decided to maintain the current 52-hour workweek system. Instead, it will draw up complementary measures for some industries that need more flexibility in working hours, such as the manufacturing industry and the medical sector, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced, on Monday.
The ministry made the decision reflecting the results of its survey of 6,030 workers, employers and the general public.
The survey was conducted after the ministry faced severe criticism from workers as well as several experts for its previous proposal, announced on March 6, to reform the country’s weekly work hour system. The proposed changes would have enabled companies to increase the maximum workweek to 69 hours during weeks with heavy workloads and allow workers to take longer vacations later on.
Critics at the time claimed that such measures would only benefit employers and force employees to work longer hours, while longer vacations could barely be guaranteed, which led President Yoon Suk Yeol to order the ministry to review the proposed reform on March 14.
The country currently adopts a 52-hour work week — 40 regular hours with 12 hours of possible overtime. It was introduced in 2018 by the liberal Moon Jae-in government to reduce the maximum week from 68 hours at the time to 52.
Citing its latest survey, the ministry said the 52-hour workweek has substantially taken root, but some industries have still experienced management problems due to a lack of flexibility in working hours and difficulties meeting deadlines.
In the survey, 48.2 percent of the respondents said the 52-hour workweek has helped relieve matters stemming from work overload, but 54.9 percent said the existing system has failed to reflect the characteristics of some industries.
In particular, both workers and employers in the manufacturing and construction industries as well as the medical, research and engineering sectors said overtime management of the current workweek needs to undergo changes.
Accepting these survey results, the ministry will maintain the 52-hour workweek, while at the same time beginning discussions with industries that have experienced difficulties abiding by the current rule, seeking to come up with complementary measures that could improve flexibility.
The ministry will also prepare measures aimed at resolving workers’ health concerns that could be affected by the long work hours in those industries.
Many respondents in the survey recommended an 11-hour mandatory rest after overtime, the ministry said, noting that it will draw up measures based on the results of the survey.
“The government reconfirms its original position of not pushing to unilaterally reform the workweek system,” Vice Labor Minister Lee Sung-hee said during a briefing. “We expect not only business organizations but also labor associations to participate in discussions to draw up effective measures.”
Vice Labor Minister Lee Sung-hee speaks during a media briefing at the Government Complex in Sejong, on Monday. Yonhap
The bumpy road still ahead
But there is much left to do before the ministry finalizes its workweek reform measures, as labor resistance over long work hours still abounds, and conflicting views over details, such as how many hours would be allowed for overtime, are expected even after dialogue is held.
The ministry said it will work to sort out a list of industries that will be allowed to adopt more flexibility in weekly work hours after conducting additional surveys and gathering more opinions.
It is expected to push to allow manufacturing and similar industries to cap the maximum workweek at no more than 60 hours. The president said earlier that working more than 60 hours a week is excessive.
The ministry said it would make a decision through the government-labor-management dialogue, but it did not suggest a method or schedule for the talks.
This is raising the likelihood that it would be difficult for the ministry to finalize its decision before the general elections slated for April next year.
