Social dialogue amid conflict over the Ultra-wide Special Zone Act... Intensive discussion and sharing of tasks

Identify your social conversation goals… Decision to be made at the vice-ministerial level consultative body on the 2nd of next month

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ok Seong-gu = As labor opposition continues to surround the 'Ultra-wide Special Zone Act', which includes labor special provisions such as an exception to 52 hours a week, future topics of intensive discussion were checked at a social dialogue gathered by labor, management, and government.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 28th that it held the 6th working-level consultative body for the 'Ultra-metropolitan Special Zone Act One-Point Social Dialogue' in which both labor and management and related ministries participated.

At this meeting, the goals of the one-point social dialogue in the super-regional special zone were confirmed based on the materials presented by labor and management so far, and the topics and order to be intensively discussed in future dialogue were shared.

Detailed discussion tasks and schedule will be decided by the Vice Minister-level Steering Committee on the 2nd of next month.

The 7th working council will be held at 9:30 a.m. on the 6th of next month.

Previously, as labor opposition to special labor provisions such as 'white collar exclusion' grew stronger, the Democratic Party of Korea is pursuing a 'two-track' strategy in which it proposes a bill including and excluding the relevant provisions separately and merges them during the National Assembly review process.

Regarding this, the two major unions criticized, “The government and the ruling party proposed a bill containing labor reform measures without even starting to discuss issues in earnest in social dialogue.”

After opposition from the labor community, President Lee Jae-myung suggested revising the enforcement ordinance of the existing law as an alternative to applying special labor provisions through the Ultra-Metropolitan Special Zone Act.

When a related question came up during the National Assembly audit, Minister of Labor Kim Young-hoon again emphasized the need for social dialogue, saying, "Because social dialogue is currently in progress, we will support legislation depending on the results."