Civil servants are also recognized as paid union workers...an agreement on a work exemption limit

Civil servants can now work with paid union predecessors like private companies.

The President's Economic, Social and Labor Committee held a plenary meeting today (22nd) in the conference room of the Economic, Social and Labor Committee in Seoul and announced that it decided to exempt public officials from working hours and to limit time off.

Accordingly, according to the number of members per minimum unit of the civil service union, it will be divided into eight sections to give 50% of the annual exemption time for private companies.

Specifically, one or two working hours exemptions were allowed to operate in the 300 to 1,299-person section where the most bargaining units exist.

In addition, if necessary for administrative negotiations, the head of the HR Innovation Department will be allowed to impose an additional limit on working hours within 6,000 hours per year.

The decision will be immediately notified by the chairman of the Economic, Social and Labor Council to the Minister of Employment and Labor, and the Minister of Labor will announce it after legal review and administrative notice.

The working hours exemption system recognizes union activities that belong to the common interests of labor and management as paid, and civil servants and teachers unions have also been subject to the system due to the revision of the Civil Service and Teachers Union Act in 2022.

The amendment was implemented late last year, but the deliberation committee on the exemption of public service hours began deliberation in June due to conflicts between the union and the government over the composition of public service members.