FKTU pushes to extend minimum wage protection to gig and platform workers

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, known as FKTU, is calling for minimum wage protections to be extended to special-employment and platform workers — including delivery riders, designated drivers and private tutors. The push is aimed at building public pressure ahead of the Minimum Wage Commission's fifth plenary session, where the question of applying the minimum wage to contract-based workers is expected to be taken up again.

The FKTU said it held a forum Wednesday at the National Assembly Library's small auditorium under the theme "Minimum Wage Blind Spots: Calling for Minimum Wage Coverage for Special-Employment, Platform and Freelance Workers," where participants discussed ways to strengthen minimum wage protections in line with a changing labor market.

In his opening remarks, FKTU Secretary-General Ryu Ki-seop said the traditional boundaries of low-wage labor are breaking down as the labor market diversifies, but many workers are being pushed outside the minimum wage system. "Expanding minimum wage coverage to contract workers is fully achievable within the existing laws and institutions," he said.

He added that the minimum wage is not simply a standard limited to wage earners, but a social safety net designed to prevent a race to the bottom in compensation and to guarantee a floor for the livelihoods of low-wage workers.

At the forum, Park Jeong-hun, vice chairman of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, presented on the topic of applying the minimum wage to contract workers.

Drawing on court precedents, Park argued that the Minimum Wage Commission holds clear authority to set minimum wages for contract workers, and proposed a method for calculating hourly rates that accounts for standby time and essential work-related expenses. He also cited overseas cases to argue that a minimum wage for contract workers is feasible in South Korea.

Song Myeong-jin, secretary-general of the Korea Platform Freelancer Labor Mutual Aid Association, proposed a multi-tiered compensation guarantee system to protect special-employment, platform and freelance workers.

Song said that where worker status is recognized, the existing minimum wage law should apply directly. For dependent service providers whose worker status is unclear, he said a minimum compensation standard reflecting actual working hours and essential costs should be established.

For freelancers with relatively greater independence — such as designers, writers, developers and translators — Song said it would be more appropriate to introduce a fair-pay guarantee system rather than applying the minimum wage framework.

To that end, he proposed a set of institutional measures: forming industry-specific bargaining and consultative bodies, guaranteeing collective consultation rights for dependent service providers and freelancers, and establishing a national "Compensation Commission for Working People."

Labor representatives and experts at the forum reached broad consensus that closing the minimum wage gap for special-employment and platform workers would require expanding the scope of the existing minimum wage system to reflect current realities and developing sector-specific standards for calculating minimum compensation.

Meanwhile, the Minimum Wage Commission is set to hold its fifth plenary session Thursday, where it will again take up the question of applying the minimum wage to contract workers. Labor groups argue that Article 5, Paragraph 3 of the Minimum Wage Act provides the legal basis for extending coverage to special-employment and platform workers, while business groups counter that applying the minimum wage to self-employed individuals falls outside the commission's authority.

Within and around labor circles, there is growing speculation that a vote on whether to apply the minimum wage to contract workers could take place at Thursday's session, as public interest members are seen as running out of room to delay a decision.