Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung said that the discussion of the four-day workweek was not a promise, but that through sufficient discussion and persuasion in the long term, we should go to a society with a four-day workweek and shorter working hours.
Candidate Jae-myung Lee made this statement during a question-and-answer session after the ‘Small and Medium Venture Business Policy Commitment Announcement’ held at the Aquapick Conference Room in Seoul on the morning of the 8th. When asked by e-Korea Economic Daily reporter Park Jeong-bae, ‘If we go to a four-day work week system, wouldn’t it be difficult to manage small and medium-sized enterprises?’ “I didn’t say it as a promise,” he said. Candidate Lee said that some presidential candidates were referring to four days a week, saying, “Reducing working hours is the way to go someday in the future.”
Candidate Lee said, “Isn’t that a burden for small and medium-sized enterprises? In the short term, he said, “The world economy is developing and the standard of living is rising. He cited the ‘marginal enterprise’, which is difficult to endure without the minimum wage or long hours of work, and said, “We cannot hold this marginal enterprise forever. “He said. He continued, “In the process, we need to give enough time, persuade through sufficient discussion, and create a device that allows former workers to adapt to and settle in new industries and jobs through industrial transformation. I have to go through it and I don’t know when it will be in the long term, but I think we need to go to a society with reduced working hours for four days a week.”
In response to the question of ‘The Gyeonggi bus fare increased by 200 won due to the 52-hour week policy when he was the governor of Gyeonggi Province,’ Lee said, “The increase in bus fares for Gyeonggi-do buses to settle 52 hours a week is 52 hours a week because the bus company’s management is not good. In response to the government’s request that bus fare increases are inevitable in order to compensate for the lower wages of workers, the decision was made with Gyeonggi-do,” he said. Candidate Lee said, “If we do not actually increase bus fares, we will be able to cover the entire deficit financially. “Reducing working hours in the long run is a reality that has been historically experienced, and we will have no choice but to go down that path in the future.”
Due to the low treatment of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), they have become an industry that young people avoid. In response to a question by Kim Na-yoon, a reporter for JoongAng Sunday, what the fundamental solution is, Candidate Lee mentioned the balance of power between large enterprises and SMEs.
Candidate Lee pointed out that, in order for SMEs to be sustainable, the key is to strengthen their own capabilities, employ talented people, and enjoy the fruits of growth such as market development and technology development. did. Candidate Lee said, “The reason for saying that we will pursue fair growth is that we can secure new potential for growth through restoration of fairness. Restoring the balance, regular and non-regular workers, and restoring the balance between men and women in the metropolitan area and regional areas will become a new driving force for growth.”
Candidate Lee added, “I think that increasing (small and medium-sized businesses) ability to pay is fairness to secure the health of the corporate ecosystem, and fairness restoration between large companies and SMEs.”
.
