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Tue, January 31, 2023 | 11:51
-------------------------
Minimum wage rises to W6,030
내년 최저임금 시급 6천30원·월급 126만원…8.1% 올라
Posted : 2015-07-09 17:03
Updated : 2015-07-09 20:49
Jhoo Dong-chan
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Management, labor express disappointment


By Jhoo Dong-chan


A government body has raised the 2016 minimum wage by 8.1 percent to 6,030 won ($5.31) per hour, a decision that satisfied neither the unions nor management.

The Minimum Wage Council announced Thursday it has increased next year's hourly minimum wage by 450 won from this year's 5,580 won, which will affect an estimated 3.42 million workers in Korea.

The increase means a monthly salary of 1.26 million won for people who work 40 hours a week, or 209 hours per month.

The council, comprised of 27 members with nine representatives each from labor, management and the public sector, voted for the new wage level following months of negotiations. Wednesday's meeting was the 12th session devoted to making the change.

Initially, representatives from labor demanded 10,000 won, up 79.2 percent from this year's minimum wage, while management proposed a freeze.

Both labor and management strongly opposed the final decision.

The labor side claimed 6,030 won is still too low to narrow the nation's income disparity.

Officials from umbrella unions said they expected at least a double-digit raise.

"The government said it would revitalize the domestic market by raising the minimum wage, but the increase is too low. We were disappointed," Kang Hun-jung, spokesman for the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, said.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions also said the government betrayed workers' expectations and it would protest the decision in a general strike scheduled for July 15.

Management representatives complained that an 8.1 percent raise was unprecedentedly high and would put too much of a burden on payroll expenses, especially among small companies amid the depressed economic climate after the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome outbreak.

"The decision neglected the nation's tough economic conditions," the Korea Employers Federation said in a press release.

"Small- and medium-sized businesses will face severe labor costs next year. Many of them could face bankruptcy. We expect small companies with less than 30 employees to pay an additional 2.7 trillion won per year."

Both management and labor can raise an objection to the decision over the next 20 days. Afterward, the Ministry of Employment and Labor will finalize the amount and announce its decision on Aug. 5. The umbrella unions confirmed they would raise an objection during this period.

The 8.1 percent hike in minimum wage came after a marathon meeting among council members.

Both sides failed to reach a compromise, and the negotiations passed the legal deadline of June 29.

During the additional plenary sessions, the two sides remained bitterly divided, with workers' representatives demanding 8,100 won and management 5,715 won.

Representatives of the public sector proposed a wage between 5,940 to 6,120 won as a settlement.

Unhappy with the negotiations, the nine representatives of labor left the meeting Tuesday and did not show up for Wednesday's session. The public sector representatives then proposed 6,030 won and the remaining council members voted in favor.


내년 최저임금 시급 6천30원·월급 126만원…8.1% 올라

노동계 불참 속 공익위원안 표결…전체 27명중 16명 투표 참여
노동계 '턱없이 낮은 금액' vs 경영계 '중소기업 큰 부담 될것'

내년도 최저임금 시급이 올해보다 8.1%(450원) 오른 6천30원으로 결정됐다.

최저임금위원회는 8일 12차 전원회의를 열어 내년 최저임금 인상안을 의결했다.

인상 폭은 지난해 7.1%(370원)보다 약간 높은 수준이다. 내년 최저임금 시급을 월급으로 환산하면 126만270원(월 209시간 기준)이다.

이날 회의에는 공익위원 9명, 사용자위원 9명, 근로자위원 9명 등 전체 27명의 위원 중 근로자위원들이 불참했다. 공익·사용자 위원 중 소상공인 대표 2명은 퇴장하고 16명이 투표에 참여해 15명이 찬성표를 던졌다.

최저임금 의결을 위해서는 전체 위원 과반 투표에 참여자 과반의 찬성이 필요하다.

최저임금 인상으로 임금이 오르는 저임금 근로자는 260만명으로 추산된다.

2010년 이후 연도별 최저임금 인상률은 2.75%(2010년), 5.1%(2011년), 6.0%(2012년), 6.1%(2013년), 7.2%(2014년), 7.1%(2015년) 등이었다.

당초 노동계는 내년 최저임금을 올해보다 79.2% 오른 시급 1만원으로 인상하는 안을 제시했고, 경영계는 동결을 주장했다. 양측의 주장이 팽팽히 맞서면서 최저임금 협상은 법정 타결 기한인 지난달 29일을 넘겼다.

이달 3일 열린 회의에서는 근로자위원들이 8천400원, 사용자위원들이 5천610원을 수정안으로 제시했다. 8일 회의에서는 2차 수정안(8천200원·5천645원)에 이어 각각 8천100원, 5천715원의 3차 수정안을 내놓았다.

양측은 더 이상 차이를 좁히지 못해 공익위원들이 심의촉진구간 5천940∼6천120원을 제시했으나 근로자위원들이 이에 반발해 11차 회의에서 퇴장한 데 이어 이날 12차 회의까지 불참했다. 결국, 심의촉진구간의 중간인 6천30원으로 확정됐다.

최저임금위원회 박준성 위원장은 '올해 인상분 8.1%는 내년도 협약임금 인상률, 노동연구원 임금인상 전망치, 소득분배 개선분 등을 종합적으로 고려해 결정했다'고 말했다.

노동계는 내년 최저임금 인상안에 강하고 반발하고 있다.

한국노총과 민주노총은 '1만원으로의 인상은 아니더라도 최소한 두자릿수 인상률을 기대했는데, 내년 인상폭은 기대에 턱없이 못 미친다'며 '저임금 노동자들의 절박한 생계난을 외면한 최저임금 수준'이라고 비판했다.

노동계는 공익위원안에 공식적으로 이의를 제기하고, 총파업 등 강력한 투쟁을 전개한다는 방침이다.

경영계도 불만을 가지기는 마찬가지다.

한국경영자총협회는 '메르스 확산, 그리스 사태 등으로 인한 중소·영세기업의 심각한 경영난을 외면한 결정'이라며 '과다한 최저임금 인상으로 영세기업이나 자영업자의 도산과 신규채용 축소 등이 잇따를 수 있다'고 밝혔다.

이날 의결된 내년도 최저임금은 20일간 노사 이의제기 기간을 거쳐 고용노동부 장관이 8월 5일까지 확정, 고시한다. (연합뉴스)
Emailjhoo@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
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