Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Chairman Yang Kyung-soo. [Yonhap]
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions Chairman Yang Kyung-soo. [Yonhap]

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has agreed to join a one-point social dialogue on labor exemptions under the proposed mega special zone act. The move follows the government's decision to offer the one-point format in recognition of the KCTU's longstanding refusal to participate in the Economic, Social and Labor Council.

With the KCTU now at the table, a sharp confrontation with the government is expected over issues including exemptions to the 52-hour workweek cap and a proposed extension of fixed-term contracts.

The KCTU held a central executive committee meeting Thursday and voted to join the one-point social dialogue on the mega special zone act, according to Yonhap. The government, which has been pushing for labor exemptions to boost the zones' competitiveness, now faces fierce opposition from the KCTU, which has resisted any loosening of labor protections.

Key issues expected to come before the talks include a "white-collar exemption" that would lift the 52-hour weekly work limit for high-earning managers and research and development workers while eliminating overtime, night-shift and holiday pay, as well as a "2+2" fixed-term contract proposal that would allow the current two-year limit on contract workers to be extended by an additional two years with the worker's consent.

The KCTU said it had long called for a "zero-base" discussion that did not presuppose any labor exemptions. "To prevent the expansion of labor exemptions and the rollback of labor rights, it is necessary to join the dialogue and directly express our opposition," the union said.

KCTU Chairman Yang Kyung-soo said the union should enter the social dialogue and push to block the 52-hour exemption and the white-collar exemption, while advocating for a four-and-a-half-day workweek.

"The government is trying to expand the dispatch and fixed-term contract laws, but we should argue for restricting the use of non-regular workers in the mega special zones," Yang said. "Companies are being handed enormous tax benefits, and there is an urgent need to demand measures that return the resulting profits to society."

With both the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the KCTU now committed to the dialogue, the government — which aims to pass the mega special zone act into law by year's end — plans to convene the first session as soon as possible. However, whether the talks will produce any concrete results remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, the KCTU also discussed whether to return to the Economic, Social and Labor Council at Thursday's meeting but reached no conclusion.


ko@heraldcorp.com