Moon, who pledged to cut hours during his presidential campaign last spring, said the change “is a task that should not be delayed any more.”But the agreement failed to reach the plenary session as some lawmakers and labor unions argued for doubling the extra pay for weekend work to 100%. A prolonged debate could put Moon’s “right to rest” initiative on a permanent holding pattern as was seen with much of former President Park Geun-hye’s legislative agenda.Improve ProductivityAs lawmakers argue over weekend wages, some employers say that while they agree with the need to shorten working hours, the changes should be more gradual. But some labor unions for Shinsegae’s discount store unit, E-mart, say it will only increase the burden on workers because they will be required to complete the same workload in fewer hours. They said that by 2020, the employees could also be paid less than others who are working longer hours and receiving the minimum 10,000 won per hour promised by President Moon during the campaign. - Bloomberg

Source: The Star December 22, 2017 01:07 UTC