Gov't to relax controversial 52-hour workweek

The government is planning to relax the 52-hour weekly work-hour maximum for certain industries and occupations. A survey showed that over 46 percent of the public supports increasing the overtime maximum by up to 12 hours.

Public workers enter the government building in Sejong, Gyeonggi, on April 1, 2019. [NEWS1]

The government will relax the 52-hour weekly work-hour maximum for certain business sectors, following yearslong backlash from Korean employers.

“While retaining the 52-hour workweek system, the government plans to come up with reform measures for certain types of industries and occupations,” Vice Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Sung-hee said.

The Yoon Suk Yeol government has been seeking to bring more flexibility into the work-hours system introduced in 2018, which caps a week at 52 hours, amid businesses' complaints about difficulties managing deadlines.

The government proposed a reform measure back in March that would allow the weekly cap to rise to 69 hours, but withdrew it after young employees complained that it could force them to overwork.

Under the latest decision, the government plans to select workplace categories that will receive a relaxed workweek. The degree of relaxation will be determined through on-site surveys and social dialogue.

The government is widely expected to keep the maximum under 60 hours for the manufacturing and production sectors.

In a survey that the Ministry of Employment and Labor released Monday, more than 46 percent of the public supported measures increasing the overtime maximum, in addition to the 52-hour workweek, by up to 12 hours. Slightly more than 41 percent workers and 38.2 percent of employers were in favor of the extension.

The survey was conducted from June to August. It polled 6,030 people, including 3,839 workers, 976 employers and 1,215 other citizens.

More than 47 percent of polled employers and more than 54 percent of the public were also in favor of relaxing the workweek for certain business sectors and occupational fields. The support rating among the workers was 43 percent.

Respondents most frequently cited manufacturing firms and other workplaces that involve production and installation as areas in need of an extended workweek.

Work hours will still be calculated on a monthly basis even if maximum weekly work hours are relaxed, with workers who exceed a given week's cap working fewer hours the following week.

The labor ministry also plans to come up with safety measures enforcing maximum weekly overtime hours and compulsory leave of absence to ensure workers' heath rights.

The government, however, is likely to face a bumpy road to the final reform amid differing stances from the labor sector, particularly since the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, a major umbrella labor union, is boycotting the presidential advisory board for labor policies, a government communication channel.

BY PARK EUN-JEE, YONHAP [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]