Can 'Unilateral Local Government Reorganization' Be Avoided?

In response to the government's policy to reduce civil service positions and transition to a larger organizational structure, both Suwon City Council and Suwon Municipal Workers' Union are opposing the unilateral restructuring plan, causing the organizational reorganization to appear on track for prolonged delays. Additionally, problems such as office space shortages and loss of administrative capacity due to headquarters-centered organizational restructuring are emerging, heightening the atmosphere of opposition.

Suwon City is known to have internally agreed not to submit the restructuring plan that Gyeonggi Province requested be submitted by the 30th. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety had initially recommended submission by the 20th, but the city has postponed submission, citing difficulties with personnel reduction and organizational restructuring. Suwon City, a metropolitan-level municipality, currently has 2,520 civil service positions authorized, which falls short of 2,570 positions budgeted relative to the total personnel budget by 50 positions. Nevertheless, the province has allocated a 78-position reduction for Suwon City. With 424 citizens per civil servant, Suwon ranks second nationwide after Uijeongbu (249 citizens), indicating subpar administrative service quality.

A city official stated, "We prepared a plan, but (Mayor Kim Yong-seo) is having difficulty approving it," and continued, "We are already short-handed even to hire more civil servants and improve administrative service quality for citizens, so it is difficult to accept an order to cut positions." In particular, if headquarters-centered organizational restructuring proceeds, approximately 200 personnel would flow into the headquarters, making office allocation another headache given the current saturation. Furthermore, citizens would be forced to bear the inconvenience of having to handle civil complaints directly at the headquarters rather than at nearby district or municipal offices.

Meanwhile, on the 28th, in an effort to support the city executive branch, the city council and union agreed to jointly respond to opposition against unilateral restructuring.

They explained their position, stating "We cannot overlook the organizational reorganization guidelines that oppose restructuring plans tailored to each local government's circumstances and undermine local autonomy, which is the inherent authority of local governments and local councils." They further added, "We will seek joint response measures in coordination with neighboring municipalities such as Hwaseong and unions, among others."

Accordingly, the city council plans to reject the 'Local Civil Service Position Ordinance Amendment' and adopt a recommendation letter with this content to submit to the government and the province. The union, which has been conducting individual protests and signature campaigns opposing restructuring since the 26th, is expanding the movement of opposition. In addition, with coordination from unions in major cities nationwide with over 500,000 residents to negotiate with the central government, signs of prolonged opposition are emerging.

They decided to observe the results of Mayor Kim Yong-seo's meeting with the Minister of the Interior and Safety on the 5th of next month to discuss this issue, and then adjust their response level accordingly. The city is reported to have a plan not to submit the restructuring plan until after Mayor Kim's meeting.

Union branch leader Seo Hyung-taek emphasized, "If the government pushes forward with a unilateral restructuring plan, we will not shy away from taking strong action such as direct action," and stressed, "The administration must stop its approach, which goes against citizens' demands for improved administrative service quality."

Meanwhile, as of this date, ten cities and counties in the province, including Suwon, Hwaseong, Pyeongtaek, and Seongnam, have yet to submit their restructuring plans to the province.