lunch, and that banks be closed during that time.
According to members of the financial industry, the Korean Financial Industry Union (KFIU) submitted a proposal to the Employers’ Council of the Financial Industry at the end of March ahead of the first industry-level collective bargaining this year, that included closing banks during lunch time, shortening working hours, and extending retirement age.
The KFIU proposal states that branch employees have their lunch in shifts and therefore, to fully guarantee they have a 1 hour lunch break, they should all have their break at the same time. The Union also argues that office computers should be shut down.
However, banks are unlikely to accept these demands, as many customers go to the bank during their lunch break as well. “Lunch time is when the bank is crowded with customers,” a bank official said. “We cannot seriously inconvenience our customers in the name of this type of guarantee.”