근로시간 단축법 개정의 경과와 쟁점

The National Assembly on Feb.28th. passed a bill aimed at shortening work hours. The Labor Standards Act calls for reducing the country’s maximum weekly work hours to 52, down from 68. The revision allows 40 regular hours per week and 12 overtime hours, including those worked on weekends. To cushion the possible impact from the reduction, the law comes into force in July and will apply to large companies before being rolled out to smaller businesses. In addition, An employer shall allow workers paid holiday on statutory holidays of government offices. The number of business types exempt from the work hour limits will be curtailed from the previous 26 to five involving transportation services and health care. This paper aims to review the progress and issues of the revision. Although the impatience of legislative resolution before the Supreme Court’s ruling became the driving force of the amendment, various measures to ensure the right of workers to rest have been sought. The details are defective, but they should be understood in terms of legislative policy decisions.