First working-level meeting set for 4 p.m. Tuesday in Seoul, to be held behind closed doors

KCTU demands 'zero-base' discussions with no labor exemptions predetermined

Federation of Korean Trade Unions and civic groups to launch opposition campaign same morning

Power struggle over agenda expected from the outset

Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon briefs reporters Tuesday at Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu on a proposal for social dialogue related to the mega special zone special act, which includes exemptions from the 52-hour workweek for research professionals and an expansion of permitted dispatch work. [Yonhap]
Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon briefs reporters Tuesday at Government Complex Seoul in Jongno-gu on a proposal for social dialogue related to the mega special zone special act, which includes exemptions from the 52-hour workweek for research professionals and an expansion of permitted dispatch work. [Yonhap]

Tripartite labor-management-government talks on labor exemptions under a proposed mega special zone law — including exceptions to the 52-hour workweek — are set to begin Tuesday. It will be the first time the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has joined a government-led tripartite dialogue in about six years, since the COVID-19 crisis response talks in 2020.

Labor groups, however, are demanding "zero-base" discussions that do not presuppose the introduction of any labor exemptions. The Federation of Korean Trade Unions and a coalition of labor and civic groups plan to launch a joint campaign to block the special act on the same day as the first meeting, signaling a power struggle over the agenda from the very start.

According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the first working-level session of the tripartite social dialogue on the mega special zone special act will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday in Seoul. The meeting will be attended by director-general-level officials and conducted behind closed doors.

The government envisions a dialogue framework involving the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Economic, Social and Labor Council, both major union federations, the Korea Enterprises Federation and the Korea Federation of SMEs. The first session is expected to focus on determining the scope of participation, operating procedures, specific agenda items and a schedule for future meetings.

The dialogue was publicly proposed by Employment and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon on Sept. 15. Kim described labor exemptions as a core element of the mega special zone special act, saying stakeholders must find solutions themselves to strengthen industrial competitiveness and create quality jobs.

The mega special zone special act, which the government and the ruling party are pushing to enact before the end of the year, would provide companies in five major and three special economic zones with fiscal and financial support, infrastructure assistance and regulatory exemptions to drive economic growth and foster strategic industries.

Among the labor exemptions under discussion, the most prominent is a "white-collar exemption" that would exclude research and development professionals above a certain income threshold from the 52-hour weekly limit. Also under consideration are a "2+2" plan to extend the maximum contract period for fixed-term workers from the current two years to four, an expansion of industries where dispatch work is permitted within the zones, and an extension of the flexible working hours settlement period from one month to six.

The KCTU voted Thursday to join the talks but made clear it opposes any predetermined outcome on labor exemptions. The federation said deregulation of working hours and non-regular employment should not be locked in as agenda items, and that the starting point of the discussions must be reset from scratch.

KCTU Chairman Yang Kyung-soo said the talks "must proceed from a zero base, without presupposing any discussion of labor exemptions." The KCTU opposes both the 52-hour exemption and the white-collar exemption, and plans to put forward its own agenda items — including a four-and-a-half-day workweek, restrictions on the use of non-regular workers and the social restitution of corporate tax benefits.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions has also agreed to participate while stressing that doing so does not imply acceptance of labor exemptions. It is calling for the talks to cover not only labor exemptions but also the broader agenda of the mega special zone initiative, including job creation, education and residential conditions.

The federation, along with labor, climate, farming and civic groups, will hold a joint press conference at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in front of the fountain at Cheong Wa Dae to launch a campaign opposing the mega special zone special act and denouncing three major mega projects.

The groups argue the special act could circumvent social safeguards such as the 52-hour cap and environmental impact assessments while granting excessive privileges to specific large conglomerates. Participants in the press conference will include the Federation of Korean Trade Unions' second policy bureau chief, the KCTU Seoul regional head, the chairman of the Korean Peasants League and representatives of environmental organizations.

Business groups are expected to push for exemptions from the 52-hour limit and relaxed regulations on fixed-term and dispatch workers. With labor firmly opposed to the exemptions themselves, however, Tuesday's first session is expected to focus on defining the scope of discussions and establishing operating principles rather than hammering out any concrete compromise.


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