Gyeonggi Province Public Institution Labor Director System Ordinance Amendment Discussions Gain Momentum

Substantive discussions on institutional improvements to strengthen the effectiveness of Gyeonggi Province's public institution labor director system have begun in earnest.

The plan is to address the system comprehensively through ordinance amendments, from the introduction clause bound by discretionary provisions to management evaluation linkage.

According to the Gyeonggi Province Public Institution Labor Director Council (GPLDC) on the 19th, the council held a policy cooperation meeting with Gyeonggi Provincial Assemblyman Lee Jae-young on the 18th to discuss the direction of amendments to the 'Ordinance on the Operation of Labor Director System in Gyeonggi Province Public Institutions.'

The amendment opinions conveyed by the GPLDC fall into three major categories. At the introduction stage, it called for making the labor director system, which remains a discretionary provision, mandatory. At the activity stage, it proposed providing support for activity hours and budgets, preventing disadvantages due to labor director activities, and improving the procedure for submitting board agenda items. The selection procedure section included strengthening the fairness of election and appointment and preventing vacancies by selecting successors before the expiration of terms.

Additionally, it emphasized establishing a basis in the ordinance for the governor to inspect the operational status of the labor director system at each institution and management participation results, reflecting them in institutional and executive management evaluations. The logic is that only when evaluation is linked will institutions actually guarantee the working conditions and authority of labor directors.

The GPLDC explained that the current ordinance has limitations in the stable establishment of the system.

At the meeting, the issue of financial soundness evaluation indicators for provincial public institutions also came up for discussion. Some institutions are depleting reserves and basic assets to cover reduced subsidies, personnel expenses, and inherent project expenses, with the argument that current indicators fail to reflect such institutional financial conditions. Assemblyman Lee Jae-young agreed to review improvement measures based on materials provided by the GPLDC.

The GPLDC plans to refine the ordinance amendment proposal by reflecting opinions from the meeting and continue consultations with the Provincial Assembly and relevant departments.

Assemblyman Lee Jae-young stated, "To prevent the labor director system from becoming an empty shell, it is necessary to include substantial authority and obligations in the ordinance," adding "I will actively review the necessity of ordinance amendments and concrete legislative directions."

Park Sung-hee, chair of the GPLDC, said, "The labor director system is a mechanism that connects field experience and voices to responsible decision-making at public institutions," emphasizing "The system can only function substantively when the authority and working conditions of labor directors are clearly guaranteed and the operational performance of institutions is reflected in management evaluations."