By Jun Ji-hye
The main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD) launched an intraparty special committee Friday to mull ways of creating jobs for young people and overcoming the ongoing economic crisis.
The party said the committee, led by four-term lawmaker Choo Mi-ae, will invite labor groups to provide input.
The launch of the opposition’s special committee came a few days after the ruling Saenuri Party set up its own version, led by Rep. Rhee In-je, to support President Park Geun-hye’s vision for labor reform.
A battle between rival parties is expected as the NPAD downplayed the importance of the ruling party’s committee ― which will focus on adopting a peak wage system and trying to solve the shortage of jobs for young people ― saying it lacks sincerity.
The largest opposition party said politicians should deal with more comprehensive issues related to the economy.
“It is unclear for what and for whom the government and the governing party are pushing for labor reform,” said Rep. Choi Jae-cheon, chairman of the NPAD’s policy committee. “The NPAD established the comprehensive special committee that will also include various people concerned, including those from labor groups.”
The NPAD is planning to host seminars to collect opinions from laborers and consumers before beginning negotiations with the governing party.
The opposition party also said it opposes the ruling party’s proposals to resume trilateral meetings of labor, management and government representatives, and set up a parliamentary special committee under the control of the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee.
Instead, the NPAD called on the Saenuri Party to agree on establishing a comprehensive organization, in which all stakeholders ― lawmakers, laborers and experts ― can participate, in order to reach a compromise to create maintainable policies.
The ruling party believes that the wage peak system will bring a new culture to the labor market, making it more flexible.
Rep. Rhee emphasized the timeliness of labor reform, since starting next year companies will implement the extension of the retirement age to 60.
But the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) disagrees, saying that the government’s reform plan does not properly reflect the status of the Korean labor market, where only 10 percent of Korean workers reach retirement age.
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