Seoul: The government is currently evaluating plans to significantly relax labor regulations for a new semiconductor production cluster in the southwestern city of Gwangju, which includes considerations to ease the 52-hour workweek rule, according to informed officials.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the labor ministry briefed some lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party on Monday regarding the proposed direction of a special labor law for the Gwangju cluster. The briefing included discussions about removing the 52-hour workweek limit for managers and researchers, particularly those in the top 3 percent of income earners. These individuals would be exempt from overtime, night, and holiday work allowances, receiving fixed allowances instead.
Introduced in 2018, the nation's 52-hour workweek law aims to prevent overwork by capping overtime at 12 hours a week, with a total workweek limit of 52 hours. Additionally, the government is considering extending the basis period for the selective working hour system from one month to six months. This system allows employees to work intensively during specific periods, provided their total working hours over the basis period do not exceed the limit.
Should the basis period extend to six months, employees could potentially work 80 hours a week for 16 consecutive weeks while maintaining an average of 52 hours per week over a 26-week period. The government is also reviewing proposals to extend the employment period for fixed-term workers from two years to four years, contingent upon agreement from the workers involved.
Despite these proposals, the labor sector has expressed strong opposition, arguing that such deregulation could lead to overworked employees and substandard jobs within the new semiconductor cluster. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions issued a statement asserting that jobs in the new cluster cannot be deemed as future industry jobs or quality jobs if they involve four-year contracts, expanded dispatched labor, and extended working hours without overtime compensation.