Civic groups demand 30 percent rise in minimum wage

SEOUL, May 28 (Yonhap) -- A group of labor and civic activists on Thursday called
for raising the nation's minimum wage by nearly 30 percent next year, as a
government-labor-management committee is set to present its 2010 minimum wage
guideline next month.

A coalition of 24 civic and labor groups, including two major umbrella labor
groups -- the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of
Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) -- demanded that the hourly minimum wage be raised
28.7 percent to 5,150 won (US$4.04) in 2010.
The recommendation came as the Minimum Wage Committee, a panel of representatives
from labor, management and the government, prepares to submit a final draft of
next year's nationwide minimum wage level to the labor minister on June 29. The
government will then announce next year's minimum salary in August.
"The newly proposed hourly wage level is equivalent to a monthly salary of 1.07
million won, roughly half of last year's average salary for Korean workers
estimated at 1.93 million won," an official from the KCTU said. "This is the
minimum level needed for a worker to make a living."
"We hope that the wage committee considers our request. We believe that
encouraging real purchasing power is the only way to boost the market," he added.
"Most non-regular workers are subject to per-hour wage contracts. And they
receive 30 percent lower salaries than that of regular workers," said an FKTU
official, stressing that a 30 percent hike in hourly wages is reasonable.
brk@yna.co.kr
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