▲ Members of the KCTU were absent from the 8th Minimum Wage Committee meeting


On the 13th, the labor and management industry entered the last tug of war for the minimum wage for next year.

The Minimum Wage Committee, a social dialogue organization that deliberates and resolves the minimum wage, held the 8th power meeting at the Sejong Government Complex this afternoon to continue the review of the minimum wage for next year.

This is the day presented by the Chairman of the Minimum Wage Commissioner Park Joon-sik as the first deadline for reviewing the minimum wage for next year.

It is said that Chairman Park has in mind the resolution of the minimum wage for next year at this meeting.

Considering that the annual minimum wage resolution is negotiated overnight and at dawn, the minimum wage for next year is likely to be resolved at dawn on the 14th.

In this case, the minimum wage level will be changed to ninth at 00:00 on the 14th.

On the day of the meeting, four members of the National Democratic Workers' Union (Ministry of Trade Unions) recommended and Park Bok-kyu, a member of the employer's committee, were not present.

The absence of the members of the KCTU's nomination committee is a sign of protest that the business community has not bent the demand to cut the minimum wage for next year.

As a result, the meeting began with 22 attendees, including 5 worker members, 8 employer members, and 9 public interest members.

The minimum wage consists of 27 workers, 9 employers and 9 public interest members.

The labor and management sectors have submitted 9,430 won (9.8% increase) and 8,500 won (1.0% reduction), respectively, as amendments to the initial minimum wage requirements for next year.

Public interest committees will narrow the gap between the two sides in a way that requires a second or third amendment.

They can vote on the final proposals presented by both sides of the labor and management, or propose separate public interest proposals.

Both sides of the labor and management sharply confronted each other from the beginning of the meeting.

“Currently, it is a time of crisis and a period of suffering,” said Ryu Ki-jung, executive director of the Korean Management Association (Kyung-Chong), a member of the employer. “It has been reported in recent surveys, but both employers and workers have more demands to stabilize the minimum wage than ever before. I think.”

In response, the Workers' Commissioner Lee Dong-ho, Secretary-General of the Korea Federation of Trade Unions (Korea Federation of Trade Unions) said, "I think the difficulties of small and medium-sized enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses are problems such as driving large companies' work and lowering the cost of delivery, not the minimum wage."

On the other hand, the KCTU held a tent in front of the Sejong office where the rural meeting was held on this day and held a central executive committee.

According to the progress of the meeting, it is observed that members of the KCTU may be present.

(Photo = Yonhap News)