공무원 근무시간면제제도 도입 관련 현황 및 쟁점에 관한 연구

With the amendment of the Act on the Establishment and Operation, etc. of Public Officials' Trade Unions in 2022, full-time officers of civil service labor unions who have been on unpaid leave until now will be exempted from working hours like their counterparts in the private sector. However, public officials' unions have argued that the exemption system should be reviewed due to the unique nature of public officials’ labor relations. In June 2024, the Committee on Exemption of Working Hours for Public Officials began its first meeting at the Economic, Social and Labor Council(ESLC) after a considerable struggle between labor and management over the selection of members. However, the process is not expected to be a smooth one. This is because there are still sharp issues between labor and government. This study aims to identify the current status and issues related to the exemption of public officials from working hours before the implementation of the exemption system, and to do so, the opinions of both labor and management were analyzed through qualitative research methods. This study is different from similar studies in the past because it was conducted in close cooperation with major labor unions to understand the operation of public officials’ unions, and because it conducted FGIs and in-depth interviews with a wide range of related parties in the government employees’ labor relations. This study suggests that the introduction of exemptions for full-time officers of public officials’ union from working hours should take into account the characteristics of public officials’ unions, which are different in size from private unions, the fact that public officials organizations have affiliated organizations nationwide, unlike private unions, the importance of the activities of higher-level organizations rather than the activities of the administrative agency, and the application of exemptions by operating unit rather than by establishment unit.