Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Kim Jung-kwan said that "labor-related exception clauses must be included in the Mega Special Zone Act."
Kim answered this way during a question from People Power Party lawmaker Cho Ji-yeon regarding the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's position on the Mega Special Zone Act at the comprehensive audit of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and its subordinate institutions held on the 22nd at the National Assembly's Committee on Trade, Industry and Energy and SMEs.
Kim pointed out, "Regarding the Mega Special Zone Act, the Political Affairs Committee included a special provision for an exception to the 52nd-hour workweek for high-income and research and development personnel, while the Climate, Energy, Environment and Labor Committee submitted a bill that does not include it. The Ministry of Employment and Labor says it will hold social dialogue (on labor exceptions). A way to quickly advance (the Honam semiconductor industry) is to propose a single bill after internal coordination, but this is heading toward an attritional battle rather than a speed race."
In response, Kim said, "There are various discussions regarding the Mega Special Zone Act, and we will do our best so that it can be legislated quickly," adding, "(Contents such as labor exceptions) are subject to significant social debate."
Previously, on the 20th, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Park Sang-hyuk filed a representative bill for the "Special Act on Designation and Operation of Mega-Regional Strategic Industrial Special Zones for Local-Led Growth" (Mega-Regional Special Zone Act).
The bill included provisions allowing laborers in the top 3% of income among employees engaged in research and development work at special zone companies to adjust working hours and standards for overtime, night, and holiday work through labor-management agreement. It also allowed the employment period of fixed-term workers to be extended from the current two years to up to four years through labor-management agreement.
Following this, on the 21st, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Choi Gi-sang filed a Mega-Regional Special Zone Act that did not include an exception clause for the 52nd-hour workweek system. Given that the issue is highly contentious between labor and management, they plan to review the bill on two tracks and make final adjustments.
In this regard, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the competent ministry for the Mega Special Zone, takes the position that labor exceptions must be included in the bill, while the Ministry of Employment and Labor believes it should be decided through social consensus. The Ministry of Labor is currently conducting a one-point social dialogue among labor, management, and government to discuss labor exceptions in the Mega Special Zone Act.
in ECONOMY
