Next year, the minimum wage will be applied uniformly without distinctions by industry.
The Minimum Wage Commission held its seventh plenary meeting at the Government Sejong Complex on the 18th and put to a vote whether to differentiate the minimum wage by industry, but the motion failed as it did not secure a majority of members present, with 14 votes against, 11 in favor, and 1 invalid.
In this vote, 8 of the 9 labor representatives attended. A total of 26 members participated, including 9 employer representatives and 9 public interest representatives.
Earlier, the employer side argued that sectors such as lodging and food service, which have been hit hard by the economic downturn, should have a lower minimum wage than other industries. The labor side opposed, saying that applying a lower minimum wage to specific industries amounts to institutionalizing discrimination against workers.
Differentiating the minimum wage by industry is a contentious issue that labor and management clash over every year. In 1988, the first year of the system, it was temporarily applied on a differentiated basis, but due to labor opposition, a single minimum wage system has been maintained since 1989.