The government stopped the 'extension of alternative holidays' revisit today

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Today (17th), the National Assembly again discusses the bill to expand the alternative holiday, which is one day off during the week if a public holiday overlaps with a weekend. Both the opposition and opposition parties are in the position to increase the number of alternative holidays, so there was even a prospect that this bill could be dealt with at the extraordinary session of the National Assembly held since yesterday, but the government opposed it, stating that it would conflict with other laws.

Correspondent Kim Hyung-rae.

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National Assembly's Administrative Safety Committee held a bill review subcommittee today to discuss the enactment of the Public Holiday Act to extend the alternative public holidays that are currently only applicable to Lunar New Year's Day, Chuseok, and Children's Day to all public holidays.

At yesterday's plenary meeting, both the ruling and opposition parties were in the position to extend the alternative holidays, but the government had a slightly different view.

The current Labor Standards Act stipulates that workers must be given at least one paid day off per week.

However, this provision does not apply to businesses with fewer than 5 employees.

Under such circumstances, the government's opinion is that if a public holiday law is enacted for all citizens, it may conflict with the Labor Standards Act.

The burden on small business owners and self-employed people with fewer than five workers could increase.

The business community also opposes the 52-hour workweek as they cannot afford to extend public holidays in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Jung-Woo Jang / Head of Labor Policy Division, Korea Employers Federation: Concerns about whether the business environment has greatly deteriorated due to the economic crisis caused by the corona virus, and it is rather making the job market more difficult... .]

On the other hand, labor unions support the idea that productivity will increase if the universal right to rest is guaranteed by law.

[Lee Sang-yoon / Deputy General Manager of Policy Division 2 of the Federation of Trade Unions: In terms of universal guarantee of holidays, I think it is right to regulate universally as a law… .]

However, as there is no big difference between the opposition and the opposition, the bill seems highly likely to cross the threshold of the National Assembly in the line of reflecting the government's position in the details.