Taxi unions, government to discuss 'deemed working hours' system amid protest

The South Korean government and taxi unions are scheduled to hold discussions on July 11 regarding the controversial 'deemed working hours system.' This system, which calculates taxi drivers' working hours based on an agreed-upon standard rather than actual time spent driving, is at the center of a dispute over long working hours and low pay in the industry.

The upcoming meeting was prompted by a prolonged rooftop protest by a taxi union official demanding the abolition of the deemed working hours system. Ko Young-ki, the general affairs manager for the taxi division of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, has been protesting atop a communication tower for 134 days, calling for the system's elimination.

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We will devise measures related to the deemed working hours system. I will instruct that in-depth discussions be held at the working-level meeting on the 11th.

Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon visited Ko at the protest site and urged him to come down, promising that the ministry would devise measures to address the deemed working hours system. He assured that the July 11 meeting would involve in-depth discussions on improving the system for the taxi industry.

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Taxi drivers can have their working hours calculated by the second using systems like the taxi operation information management system and the call app.

The current system allows taxi companies to set a standard workday of around 3 to 5 hours, significantly less than the actual hours drivers work. This discrepancy results in low base pay, forcing drivers to work excessively long hours and potentially engage in reckless driving to meet their daily quotas, known as 'snap-ins,' paid to the company. Drivers argue that with modern technology like GPS and meters, actual working hours can be precisely tracked, making the deemed working hours system obsolete and unfair.

Ko stated that if the monthly quota for corporate taxi drivers is 3.9 million won, their base salary is only 1.05 million won, necessitating 14 to 15 hours of work daily. He vowed not to end his protest until a revision to the enforcement decree, excluding the taxi industry from the deemed working hours system, is guaranteed.

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If the monthly quota for corporate taxi drivers is 3.9 million won, the base salary is only 1.05 million won. We have no choice but to work 14 to 15 hours a day.