The policy centers on allocating budgetary funding to converting more irregular workers into regular workers
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) released its New DP Plan on labor policy, which is centered on support for the conversion of irregular workers into regular workers on Mar. 7. This was the DP’s fifth release of alternative policy following the release of alternative policies related to education, society, welfare, health. In their released alternative policy plan, the DP suggests the formation of a budget of 0.6 trillion Won ($528 million USD) per year in order to convert 1 million irregular workers into regular workers over the next five years (200 thousand per year). The budget would be used as a subsidy to compensate part of resulting wage increase. The Lee Myung-bak government allocated nothing to this type of policy in this year’s budget. The DP also suggests a policy that limits the hiring of irregular workers by allowing them to be hired only for the temporary work such as the replacement of a vacancy or short-term work. The DP will present a revision of labor-related laws containing the new policies at the National Assembly. The DP also proposes increasing the minimum wage level to 1.08 million Won ($950 USD) per month, which is the minimum cost of living for a family of three, and reducing annual work hours to 2 thousand within 5 years (the average annual work hours for OECD nations is 1768 hours). The DP is also proposing to introduce laws to protect certain special laborers who are currently unprotected under the law such as concrete transport truck drivers and employees of companies producing educational materials for those involved in home schooling.Chung Sye-kyun, chairman of the DP, said, “Those in the labor sector have suffered threefold with job loss, the deterioration of living conditions and the deterioration of working conditions since the inauguration of the Lee administration.” Chung also added, “It is time to make special measures to limit the number of irregular workers.” Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
