Yoon reiterated over 60-hour workweek unreasonable for workers’ health

[Photo by Yonhap]

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol reiterated on Tuesday that working 60 hours or longer per week is unreasonable, signaling that he will reflect public opinions in the government’s proposal to call for more flexibility in working hours that has gained criticism.

“I acknowledge that some blame this conciliation as a rollback of our policy for more flexible work hours,” Yoon said during a cabinet meeting held at the presidential office in Yongsan. “But an upper threshold on weekly hours is necessary to protect workers’ rights to health.”

Yoon reaffirmed the stance delivered through the statement by Senior Presidential Secretary for Social Affairs Ahn Sang-hoon on March 16. Some critics say that Yoon’s remarks aimed to propose guideline for the revision and ease criticism from labor groups.

“This will help to give workers more flexibility in their working hours by allowing them to have broader options on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly basis under the agreement between union and management,” Yoon said.

“It’s necessary to develop protections for workers in order to prevent them from suffering uncertainty in wages, vacation days, and incentives, given that issues of dual labor markets are prevalent in Korea,” Yoon said.

Yoon expressed his strong desire for labor reform. “The first and foremost goal in labor reforms should be the establishment of labor-management rule,” Yoon said. “There is no denying that illicit activity and violence must be eliminated in the workplace.”

The president urged relevant authorities, such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor, to conduct in-depth surveys on labor reforms and brief him on the results. The government will listen more carefully to diverse opinions from young generations, non-unionized workers and those in small-to-medium companies, and will work to develop a more reasonable plan for improvement, Yoon said.