President Park steps up rhetoric on labor reform bills

By Park Sae-jin Posted : December 23, 2015, 16:39 Updated : December 23, 2015, 16:39

[Courtesy of Blue House]



The controversial bills aimed at overhaul South Korea’s labor market is considered a top priority for President Park Geun-hye.

But they are still stuck in parliament for months as lawmakers from rivals parties failed to reach a consensus ahead of the crucial parliamentary elections in April next year.

This week, President Park is making her case again and again for the parliamentary passage of the labor bills.

“I think lawmaker will not be able to deviate from the judgment of history if labor reform bills run aground because of a lack of cooperation from the National Assembly,” said President Park on Wednesday during a meeting called to review the progress of labor and other reforms.

“If the labor reform gets underway, it will create 370,000 new jobs in the next 5 years while also improving the low birthrate and slumping domestic consumption,” she said on Tuesday during a cabinet meeting.

The five-point labor law revision bills are related to such sticky issues as expanding the scope of dispatched workers, extending the maximum period of temporary workers and adopting the wage peak system.

The bills will make it easier for companies to dismiss workers based on performance and to place a ceiling on the salaries of senior employees to encourage employers to recruit younger people and reduce youth unemployment.

The government said that the reform will improve labor conditions but labor unions and the opposition has argued that that it will prolong the nonguaranteed period for workers.

An Chong-bum, the senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, told reporters Sunday that the labor bills must be passed within this year along with other bills to reduce uncertainty in the labor market and to revitalize South Korea's economy.

By Ales Lee
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