SEOUL, April 15 (AJP) - This year's first meeting of a committee responsible for setting next year's minimum wage is scheduled to be held next week.
The committee, consisting of members from labor, employer and government representatives under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, will gather for talks at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong on April 21.
With the committee's chair remaining vacant, members in attendance are expected to elect a new chair during the meeting, which will be presided over by Labor Minister Kim Yong-hoon. They are also expected to discuss plans and schedules for subsequent sessions to continue wage deliberations.
However, tough confrontations are already expected, as labor representatives are likely to propose a higher increase from this year's minimum wage of 10,320 Korean won, up just 2.9 percent, or 290 won, from a year ago, while employers are expected to push for a freeze amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
One of the contentious issues between the two sides will be discussions on whether to apply the minimum wage to platform workers including delivery workers and riders, a long-standing demand from labor groups.
Kim earlier said such talks would be held for the first time, citing the need to consider a separate minimum wage or similar arrangements for contract-based workers and other laborers if it is deemed inappropriate to set wages on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The committee is required to make a final decision within 90 days from the date the Labor Minister requests a review, which falls on June 29 this year. However, this deadline is largely advisory in nature, and in practice the decision is often delayed until around mid-July due to usual differences between both sides.
The committee, consisting of members from labor, employer and government representatives under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, will gather for talks at the government complex in the administrative city of Sejong on April 21.
With the committee's chair remaining vacant, members in attendance are expected to elect a new chair during the meeting, which will be presided over by Labor Minister Kim Yong-hoon. They are also expected to discuss plans and schedules for subsequent sessions to continue wage deliberations.
However, tough confrontations are already expected, as labor representatives are likely to propose a higher increase from this year's minimum wage of 10,320 Korean won, up just 2.9 percent, or 290 won, from a year ago, while employers are expected to push for a freeze amid the prolonged conflict in the Middle East.
One of the contentious issues between the two sides will be discussions on whether to apply the minimum wage to platform workers including delivery workers and riders, a long-standing demand from labor groups.
Kim earlier said such talks would be held for the first time, citing the need to consider a separate minimum wage or similar arrangements for contract-based workers and other laborers if it is deemed inappropriate to set wages on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
The committee is required to make a final decision within 90 days from the date the Labor Minister requests a review, which falls on June 29 this year. However, this deadline is largely advisory in nature, and in practice the decision is often delayed until around mid-July due to usual differences between both sides.
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