[News Today] ‘4.5-day workweek’ draws spotlight

[LEAD]
Marking Labor day, labor unions are once again calling for a shorter workweek and reduced working hours. The political arena is also taking notice, as reforming the five-day workweek becomes a hot-button issue in the lead-up to the presidential election. We look at the possibility of its implementation and some of the challenges.

[REPORT]
This company manufacturing automatic doors introduced a four-day workweek back in 2022 for all employees.

They work four days a week except for the four months when the factory is especially busy.

Cheon Do-young / Worker at automatic door manufacturer
We devise plans from Monday to Thursday to meet our production goals.

It was an innovative endeavor for a manufacturing company, which is supposed to operate incessantly.

The company adjusted its work hours and employees subject to the four-day workweek in phases starting with production workers in 2019.

Counter to prior concerns, its sales and production volume have surged by 20% annually.

Lee Dae-hoon / CEO of automatic door manufacturer
We supplemented about 10% of our workforce and the rest 10% was replaced with a smart system. We also scrapped meetings.

Discussions of a 4.5-day workweek are gaining pace ahead of the presidential election.

The question is whether or not to curtail the current legal work hours of 40 hours per week.

Labor side says it supports the idea, because chronic long working hours need to be addressed to ensure balance between work and leisure. But management is against it due to concerns about economic uncertainty and weaker competitiveness.

Management organizations say a four-day or 4.5-day workweek is the number one legislation that can negatively impact the labor market.

The priority should be on finding a way to strike a balance between productivity and wage compensation.

Kim Jong-jin / Director, Korea Worker Institute & Union Center
Businesses' sales and productivity should stay intact so that workers can keep decent jobs in a sound way.

Experts also point out the need to devise a step-by-step plan reflecting the situation in various job responsibilities and sectors.

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