SUPPLEMENTARY PLAN FOR 52 HOUR WORKWEEK

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In relation to the expanded implementation of the 52-hour workweek system, the presidential office said the government will announce a supplementary plan if the National Assembly fails to pass the flexible work hour bill by next month. This includes giving firms that do not abide by the 52-hour workweek arrangement a six-month grace period.

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The 52-hour workweek system was supposed to be expanded to small and medium businesses with fewer than 300 workers by next January. That's less than three months away. Cheong Wa Dae officially confirmed that it is reviewing the option of extending the grace period for companies to implement the rule as a way to reduce the burden for private enterprises. Presidential Secretary for Job Creation Hwang Deok-soon said it would be best to have the National Assembly pass the flexible workhour bill. But if not, a support measure from the government would be inevitable. He mentioned the option of delaying penalties for companies that do not abide by the 52-hour workweek rule. The secretary said that a grace period was given to large enterprises with more than 300 workers when the shorter workhour system was first mandated. He added that smaller firms may face more difficulties when they're subjected to the new work hour arrangement. A grace period of more than six months would lessen the burden for enterprises by delaying the implementation of the 52-hour system. Previously, President Moon Jae-in had instructed his officials to expedite the passage of the flexible work hour bill and design support plans.

[Soundbite] PRES. MOON JAE-IN(CABINET MEETING, OCT. 8) : "The business community is worried about the expanded implementation of the 52-hour workweek system. We must prepare for the possibility that it may not be legislated."

Cheong Wa Dae set November as the deadline for the National Assembly's legislation. The government will keep an eye on how parliament handles this bill and if its passage within this year seems impossible, the government will present its own measures.