Umbrella union to join gov't-proposed talks amid push to roll back some labor rules

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SEOUL, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- A major umbrella union said Thursday it will join a government-proposed "social dialogue" on issues over an envisioned special bill aimed at rolling back some labor rules, including the 52-hour workweek limit at megascale semiconductor clusters.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the two largest labor groups in South Korea, said it reached the decision during a central executive committee meeting.

"We concluded that it is necessary to participate in the dialogue and directly voice our opposition to expanding labor exemptions and to prevent the regression of labor rights," the KCTU said.

The move came after Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon proposed earlier this week creating a "one-point social dialogue" to discuss the so-called megacluster bill pushed for by the government and the ruling party.

The government aims to introduce the bill by the end of this month, which may include a plan to exempt managers and researchers in the top 3 percent of income earners from the 52-hour workweek limit, as well as overtime, night and holiday work allowances. The nation's 52-hour workweek law was introduced in 2018 to prevent overwork.

The government is also considering extending the basis period for the selective working hour system from the current one month to six months in the special megaclusters.

The selective working hour system is designed to allow employees to work intensively during a specific period, as long as their total working hours over the basis period do not exceed the limit.

But the two major umbrella labor unions, which includes the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), have strongly condemned the moves as an anti-labor policy and vowed to block the proposed legislation.

The KCTU's participation in the dialogue will mark its first return to the three-way labor talks involving the government and employers in six years, since it took part in crisis management dialogue during the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020.

Yang Kyeung-soo, president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the two major umbrella unions in South Korea, speaks during a town hall meeting with young people in Seoul on Sept. 15, 2026. (Yonhap)

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Umbrella union to join gov't-proposed talks amid push to roll back some labor rules

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首尔，9月17日（韩联社）——一个主要的伞式工会周四表示，它将参加政府提议的关于一项旨在撤销部分劳动法规（包括大型半导体集群每周52小时工作制限制）的特别法案的“社会对话”。

韩国两大工会组织之一的韩国总工会（KCTU）表示，该决定是在中央执行委员会会议上做出的。

“我们认为有必要参与对话，直接表达我们反对扩大劳动豁免范围和防止劳动权利倒退的立场，”韩国工会联合会表示。

此前，劳工部长金英勋在本周早些时候提议设立“一站式社会对话”，讨论政府和执政党力推的所谓“大型集群法案”。

政府计划在本月底前提交该法案，其中可能包括一项计划，即豁免收入最高的3%人群（包括管理人员和研究人员）每周52小时工作制的限制，以及加班费、夜班费和节假日加班费。美国于2018年出台了每周52小时工作制，旨在防止过度劳累。

政府也在考虑将特殊大型集群中选择性工作时间制度的基准期从目前的一个月延长至六个月。

选择性工时制度旨在允许员工在特定时期内集中工作，只要他们在基准期内的总工时不超过限制即可。

但包括韩国工会联合会（FKTU）在内的两大工会组织强烈谴责这些举措是反劳工政策，并誓言要阻止这项拟议的立法。

韩国中央工会参与此次对话，标志着该工会自 2020 年 COVID-19 疫情爆发期间参与危机管理对话以来，时隔六年首次重返政府与雇主之间的三方劳资谈判。

2026年9月15日，韩国两大工会之一——韩国总工会会长杨京洙在首尔与青年举行市政厅会议并发表讲话。（韩联社）

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在政府推动撤销部分劳动法规之际，伞式工会将加入政府提议的谈判。