The Minimum Wage Commission is expected to hold a meeting on the 4th and begin full-fledged discussions on whether to apply the minimum wage to gig workers such as delivery drivers. Gig workers are delivery drivers, parcel delivery drivers, and designated driver drivers who are paid based on work performance. They work under the supervision and control of corporations but are classified as self-employed and are not subject to the Labor Standards Act.
The Minimum Wage Commission will hold its third plenary meeting at 3 p.m. on the 4th at the Government Sejong Complex. At the meeting, Park Jeong-hun, vice chair of the Public Transport Workers' Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), is said to present a "plan to apply the minimum wage to gig workers." The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) is then expected to make a related presentation, followed by discussions with the employer side.
Labor groups have argued that gig workers should also be covered by the minimum wage, but the effort fell through as management opposed it. This discussion is taking place after Minister Kim Young-hoon of the Labor Ministry formally asked the "Minimum Wage Commission to deliberate on whether to apply the minimum wage to gig workers."
Talks on next year's minimum wage are expected to kick into full gear from mid-month. This year's minimum wage is 10,320 won per hour, up 2.9% from a year earlier. The statutory deadline for minimum wage deliberations is 90 days from the date the Minister of Labor requests the review. This year, it falls at the end of Jun.
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung said in a written response in May last year, when he was a presidential candidate, to questions from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions on measures to protect low-wage workers that "we plan to move forward so that all workers under an employer's direction and supervision are granted employee status and can be covered by the minimum wage." He added, "For special employment, platform workers, and freelancers who are not under direction or supervision, we will pursue in-depth reviews after taking office for Korean-style application such as a 'minimum remuneration system.'"