Labor groups boycott minimum wage commission

By Lee Kyung-min

Unions boycotted the Minimum Wage Commission, Thursday, for the second time this year. This signals a tough road ahead for the discussion of raising next year’s state-set hourly minimum wage to 10,000 won ($8.8) from the current 6,470 won.

President Moon Jae-in pledged to raise the minimum wage to 10,000 won by 2020, requiring an annual 15.6 percent increase to 7,485 won in 2018, 8,660 in 2019 and 10,019 in 2020.

The minimum wage is determined by the 27-member trilateral negotiating body, comprised of nine each from business, labor and public interest grups. The public sector members are composed of professors and researchers working on labor issues.

The first meeting held in April failed to produce any tangible results after the unions boycotted, protesting what they called a “unilateral and clandestine decision” over last year’s amount.

Representatives of the nation’s two umbrella unions vowed they will not return to the negotiating table unless the National Assembly passes a revised law that governs the criteria on setting the minimum wage and forming a panel representing the public. They criticized the current system for lacking transparency.

Members of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said they would submit written demands to the government before holding a meeting next Wednesday to discuss whether to return to the trilateral meeting.

The groups deem the operation of the three-way committee problematic because out of the total 27 members, with the nine members representing the public casting votes when labor and management are at loggerheads.

The government recommends the supposedly neutral nine members to maintain balance on the much-disputed issue, but they all end up taking either side, the unions claim.

To rectify this unfair practice, they added, the nation needs to either diversify the makeup of the public interest members or have the National Assembly set the minimum wage.

The third meeting of the commission is scheduled for next Thursday. It is required to reach an agreement by June 29 and the labor minister should notify the public by Aug. 5.