The Labor Market Structure Improvement Committee under the Economic & Social Development Commission (ESDC) formed an expert group for discussions on the 5 agenda items and 14 specific tasks for structural reforms of the labor market in the Framework Agreement on Structural Reforms of the Labor Market signed in December 2014.
The expert group discussions focused on 3 of the 5 agenda items of wage, working hours, and retirement age, since discussions and consultations on the priority tasks (dual structure of the labor market and 3 pending issues including wage and the social safety net) should be completed by March 2015.
Nevertheless, as was shown in the government’s Comprehensive Measures for Non-Regular Workers announced in December 2014, differences between the tripartite members are quite stark. The ESDC is planning to narrow down these differences through the expert group and plenary meetings.
[Table 1] Tripartite Views on Comprehensive Measures for Non-Regular Workers
|
Labor
|
Employers
|
Government
|
|
|
Non-regular workers
|
• Hire regular workers for regular tasks that have continued and will continue in the future
• Put restrictions on the use of hiring non-regular workers
• No extension of non-regular contracts
|
• No regular status for non-regular workers in regular jobs
• Relax restrictions on hiring non-regular workers (abolish restrictions or allow contract term extensions if both labor and management agree)
|
• Give regular status to non-regular workers with regular tasks if possible
• Extend non-regular contract periods if worker desires (to a maximum extension of 2 years, for workers who are 35 years of age or older)
• Grant financial support to non-regular workers who are not granted regular employment upon contract expiry
|
|
In-house subcontract workers
|
• No illegal in-house subcontracts
|
• Legitimatize in-house subcontracts
|
• Clear criteria for dispatch and subcontract employment
|
|
Protection of independent contractors
|
• Consider independent contractors as workers under the Labor Standards Act
• Guarantee the labor rights to association, collective bargaining and collective action
|
• Protection under economic laws
• Recognize reasons to exclude from industrial accident compensation insurance coverage
|
• Make guidelines to protect independent contractors
• Expand coverage of employment and industrial accident compensation insurance
|