The government and taxi labor representatives are preparing to conduct a survey to objectively assess the working hours and labor conditions of taxi drivers. They plan to review existing studies and international examples while gathering input from labor and management to define the scope and methodology of the upcoming survey.
On October 8, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a kickoff meeting for the 'Task Force on Labor Conditions and Working Hours in the Taxi Industry' at the Seoul Vocational Ability Assessment Institute, involving taxi industry labor representatives and experts.
The task force was established to objectively examine the actual working conditions of taxi workers. The working hours of taxi drivers have become a contentious issue following recent legal amendments. The revised Taxi Development Act, enacted in May, stipulates that when taxi operators set working hours, they must generally ensure that they do not exceed 40 hours per week, applicable only in Seoul until August 19, 2028.
Future expansion of this regulation to other regions will depend on the outcomes observed in Seoul and actual changes in working hours. Consequently, the survey will focus on how well it can capture the working hours, wages, and working conditions of taxi drivers, and what foundational data it can provide for future discussions on working hours.
Labor representatives include members from the National Taxi Workers' Union Federation, the National Democratic Taxi Workers' Union Federation, and the Public Transport Workers' Union Taxi Division. The management side is represented by the National Taxi Transportation Business Association, along with experts recommended by labor and management.
During the first meeting, participants agreed on the need to make the taxi industry a more attractive workplace and discussed the operational direction of the task force and future schedules. Instead of immediately conducting the survey, the government plans to first review previous studies and discussions related to taxi labor conditions and examine international cases.
Following this, they will gather sufficient input from labor and management to finalize the survey's target subjects, items, and methods.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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