Ruling, opposition parties remain apart on irregular workers bill

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The ruling and main opposition parties continued their
fight over a controversial revision to the law on non-regular workers Sunday,
despite the latest compromise from the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) to work
out a permanent solution in 12 months instead of 18.
The GNP, in temporary alliance with two splinter parties, earlier sought to
pressure the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) to agree to an 18-month
suspension of the law that requires companies to lay off any non-regular worker
after two years of employment or promote their status to a regular worker.
"The party can take a more flexible stance on the period of the grace period if
it will help prevent mass lay-offs of non-regular workers," GNP floor leader Ahn
Sang-soo told reporters, adding the party is willing to endorse a one-year
suspension instead.
The proposed revision earlier sought to permanently extend the time limit for
employment of non-regular workers to four years.
The latest offer came shortly after negotiations between Ahn and his DP
counterpart Lee Kang-rae again failed to produce any progress.
The opposition party opposes any extension or suspension of the time limit,
saying a fundamental solution can only be found in encouraging companies to hire
workers on a regular basis.
About 5.5 million people are currently employed on a non-regular basis, according
to the labor ministry. The government and the ruling party claim as many as 1
million of them could get fired in the near future as the two-year limit expired
at the beginning of the month. The DP claims less than half a million will lose
jobs.
The GNP controls the majority of 169 seats in the 299-seat National Assembly, but
its attempt to pass the original revision was blocked by opposition legislators,
who even threatened physical clashes.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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