Seoul: A major umbrella union announced on Thursday its decision to participate in a government-proposed "social dialogue" to discuss a special bill that aims to roll back certain labor rules, including the 52-hour workweek limit at large-scale semiconductor facilities.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of South Korea's two largest labor groups, reached this decision during a central executive committee meeting. The KCTU stated its intention to join the dialogue in order to directly oppose any expansion of labor exemptions and to prevent any regression of labor rights.

The decision follows Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon's proposal earlier in the week for a "one-point social dialogue" to address the megacluster bill, which is being pushed by the government and the ruling party. The government aims to introduce the bill by the end of the month, which may include plans to exempt managers and researchers in the top 3 percent of income earners from the 52-hour workweek limit and from overtime, night, and holiday work allowances. The 52-hour workweek law was introduced in 2018 to prevent overwork.

Additionally, the government is considering extending the basis period for the selective working hour system from the current one month to six months in the special megaclusters. This system allows employees to work intensively during specific periods, provided their total working hours over the basis period do not exceed the limit.

Both major umbrella labor unions, including the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), have strongly criticized these proposals as anti-labor policies and have pledged to block the proposed legislation. The KCTU's decision to participate in the dialogue marks its first return to three-way labor talks involving the government and employers in six years, since its participation in crisis management dialogue during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Source: Yonhap News Agency