The government held a meeting on the 17th, organized by the Minimum Wage Reform Research Committee launched as part of the minimum wage system improvement work, with participation from labor, management, and experts.
The meeting hosted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor was conducted by gathering the opinions of management in the morning and labor in the afternoon.
A representative from the Ministry of Employment and Labor noted that the background for conducting the meeting separately for management and labor was to hear each side's positions more candidly.
Representatives from the Korea Enterprises Federation and KBIZ attended the morning session. In the afternoon, representatives from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korean Trade Union Congress participated. Professors Park Yoon-soo from Sookmyung Women's University, Yoon Ja-young from Chungnam National University, and Cho Yong-man from Konkuk University attended both the morning and afternoon sessions as experts.
The Minimum Wage Improvement Research Committee was launched last November based on the government's judgment that there is a need to reform the minimum wage determination system and criteria that have been in place for 37 years. It consists of nine current and former public interest members.
The committee gathered opinions through the meeting about whether it is more suitable for the Minimum Wage Committee to operate with a system where labor and management participate directly or with experts recommended by labor, management, and the government.
Currently, the Minimum Wage Committee decides on minimum wage proposals through voting after discussions involving nine worker representatives from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Korean Trade Union Congress, nine user representatives from KEF and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, and nine public interest representatives from academia.
A representative from the Ministry of Employment and Labor stated in relation to this, "Even if the committee reaches a conclusion, it will require legal amendments, so it will take quite some time before actual implementation."
The committee also conveyed its position to various sectors that it is preferable to decide on the criteria for minimum wage determination in a way that is socially acceptable and can objectively reflect labor market and economic conditions.
Park Joon-sik, a professor at Hallym University and chair of the committee, said, "Now is the time to improve the system so that the minimum wage is decided through reflection and consensus based on rational criteria," adding that they would adequately listen to the positions of stakeholders and prepare constructive improvement plans.