Public employees will now be recognized for actual overtime hours worked, even if it exceeds the previous limit of four hours per day. Additionally, a new 'overtime compensation allowance' will be established for level 4 public employees.
The Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on July 21 that they will propose amendments to the 'Regulations on Public Employee Allowances' and 'Regulations on Local Public Employee Allowances.'
This amendment follows a directive from President Lee Jae-myung during a senior advisor meeting in April, where he instructed officials to ensure that necessary overtime is recognized and to address unnecessary formal overtime practices.
Under the proposed changes, the previous daily limit of four hours for overtime will be eliminated. Previously, even if employees worked more than four hours of overtime during busy periods, only four hours were recognized regardless of actual hours worked.
Moving forward, employees will be credited for the actual hours they work. However, to protect employees' right to rest, a monthly cap of 57 hours will remain in place. This aims to prevent excessive overtime while managing total working hours within a reasonable range.
Kim Seong-hoon, Deputy Minister of Personnel Management, stated, "Last year, public employees averaged about 22 hours of overtime per month. We expect that even during peak times, employees will remain within the '57-hour' limit."
Furthermore, the system that previously allowed for a maximum of 100 hours of overtime with special approval for urgent issues will be revised. From now on, there will be no cap on overtime, and the authority to approve exceptions will be adjusted from department heads to directors.
A new 'overtime compensation allowance' will also be introduced for level 4 public employees. Currently, these employees do not receive overtime pay due to receiving management allowances, even when they perform practical duties before being assigned to managerial positions. Considering the reality that many level 4 employees handle practical tasks, they will now be eligible for this allowance.
However, since level 4 employees already receive management allowances, only those designated by their respective ministers who exceed 25 hours of overtime in a month will receive additional compensation for the excess hours.
Management and oversight of unnecessary formal overtime practices will also be strengthened. The electronic personnel management systems for national and local employees will be improved to require employees to log their working hours at regular intervals, allowing department heads to verify this information.
Local governments will also implement total overtime management functions, and those that operate these systems will receive administrative and financial incentives.
On the other hand, the criteria for penalties will be tightened. Currently, disciplinary action is mandatory only for those who improperly receive overtime pay more than twice. In the future, even a single instance of improper receipt exceeding 500,000 won will trigger mandatory disciplinary action.
The standards for disciplinary action will also be strengthened from the current threshold of 1 million won to 500,000 won, and the supervisory responsibilities of managers will be clearly defined. Additionally, when improper receipt is detected, criminal charges may be filed, and disciplinary actions related to improper receipt will include a six-month extension on promotion and salary increase restrictions. The Ministry of Personnel Management plans to clarify these potential sanctions in the 'Guidelines for Public Employee Compensation' to raise awareness of improper receipt.
Choi Dong-seok, Minister of Personnel Management, emphasized, "This is not about normalizing long working hours but ensuring fair compensation for unavoidable work hours. As we enhance compensation, we will also strengthen management against improper receipt."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.