The government has formally proposed single-issue social dialogue with labor and management to discuss labor exemptions to be included in a special law on semiconductor mega-zones. Attention now turns to whether the government can win over labor groups, which have opposed the exemptions on concerns they would erode working conditions.
Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said at a briefing at the Government Complex in Seoul on the 15th that the government was proposing single-issue social dialogue on the labor exemptions in the mega-zone special law. Describing the talks, which would bring together the government, labor and management, Kim said they would serve as a forum for dialogue and compromise in which stakeholders discuss the issues directly to strengthen industrial competitiveness and create quality jobs.
Measures under discussion as labor exemptions in the mega-zone law include exempting high-income workers from working-hour rules and extending the settlement period for flexible working-hour schemes. Companies argue that the nature of the semiconductor industry requires flexibility in working hours to match research and development and production schedules, while labor groups have objected that the changes could expand long working hours and weaken working conditions.
President Lee Jae-myung earlier made a similar proposal, telling the leaders of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on the 3rd that the labor exemption issue should be resolved through social dialogue.
"There are bound to be differences of opinion between companies that say the exemptions are necessary and workers who raise concerns," Kim said. "Beyond the labor exemptions, we can discuss together whatever labor and management propose to protect workers' health and improve corporate productivity."
