Bipartisan Efforts to Establish Safety Net for Platform Workers

Bipartisan policy committees convened on October 29 to discuss joint legislative efforts aimed at protecting workers, including platform workers and freelancers, who fall outside existing labor laws. Both parties expressed a commitment to achieving legislative results during the current regular session, indicating a potential acceleration in the processing of related bills. The need to consolidate existing legislation aimed at protecting platform workers was a key topic of discussion at the forum.

The two parties jointly hosted the "Forum on Institutionalizing a Safety Net for Platform Workers" at the National Assembly. This event was organized following a proposal by Lim I-ja, chair of the ruling People Power Party's policy committee, on October 1, to initiate policy discussions focused on protecting vulnerable workers.

Kwon Chil-seung, chair of the Democratic Party's policy committee, stated, "I propose that during this regular session, we conduct a thorough review of the bills from both parties, led by the Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee." The plan is to pursue integrated legislation that combines support measures such as assistance for mutual aid associations, wage guarantees, standard contracts, and dispute resolution.

The People Power Party also outlined its vision for achieving legislative success in the current session. Lim noted, "Bills from both parties aimed at protecting platform workers and vulnerable laborers are currently before the National Assembly. While our approaches may differ, our legislative goals are aligned."

He added, "I hope this forum will lead to the joint drafting of legislation to establish a safety net for platform workers and that we can work together to ensure its passage in the National Assembly."

Experts participating in the forum emphasized the need to develop a protective framework that reflects the unique characteristics of platform work. Kwon Soon-won, a professor at Sookmyung Women's University Graduate School of Business, highlighted that a key issue in protecting platform workers is designing a protection system proportional to the degree of dependency on the platform.

The necessity of expanding legal protections based on the International Labour Organization's conventions on platform work was also raised. Park Gwi-cheon, a professor at Ewha Womans University School of Law, pointed out that the current right to cease work under the Industrial Safety and Health Act is only partially applicable to platform workers. He stressed the need for amendments to relevant laws or regulations to ensure rights protection.

Concerns were also voiced regarding the funding issues related to the introduction of mutual aid associations. Park Cheol-seong, a professor at Hanyang University College of Economics and Finance, cautioned, "The establishment of mutual aid associations should not become the sole policy goal. We must first define the risks that these associations will cover and analyze the financial sustainability based on membership size and wage levels."

Currently, nine related bills are pending in the National Assembly's Climate, Energy, Environment, and Labor Committee. The Democratic Party focuses on rights protection and preventing worker misclassification, while the People Power Party emphasizes establishing mutual aid associations and support systems in the field.