🚨 Work-to-Rule: Workers Exercising Their Rights While Following the Law

Today Korean Social News | 2025.05.09

📌 Will 40,000 Buses Across Korea Stop? 22 Unions Announce General Strike on the 28th

💬 22 regional bus unions across Korea have announced they will begin a simultaneous general strike on May 28th if wage and collective agreement negotiations fail. Seoul city bus union has already begun work-to-rule protests, and conflicts over calculating regular wages and wage increase rates are spreading nationwide. The Supreme Court's ruling on whether regular bonuses should be included in regular wage calculations has become a key issue, raising concerns about financial burdens on local governments and inconvenience to citizens.

Summary

• Work-to-rule is a labor dispute action where workers strictly follow all laws and regulations related to their work.
• The key is refusing excessive work and safety regulation violations, resulting in reduced work efficiency.
• Unlike strikes, workers don't leave their workplace, allowing them to minimize legal risks while achieving their demands.

1️⃣ Definition

Work-to-rule is a labor dispute action where workers strictly follow all laws and regulations related to their work. Simply put, it means rejecting regulation violations and overtime work that are usually overlooked for efficiency, and working strictly according to the manual.

This is an indirect dispute method that pressures employers (companies) by slowing down work and reducing efficiency.

💡 Why is it important?

• It's an alternative way to communicate workers' demands without a complete strike.
• Workers exercise only their legally guaranteed rights, avoiding the risks of illegal strikes.
• It causes less inconvenience to citizens than complete service suspension while still raising awareness of issues.
• It serves as an important pressure tactic during negotiations to resolve labor-management conflicts.

2️⃣ Main Types and Characteristics of Work-to-Rule

📕 Main Types of Work-to-Rule

• Transportation sector work-to-rule is the most common form. Transportation work-to-rule features include:

  • Bus and subway operators strictly follow speed limits and thoroughly conduct safety checks.
  • For example, they drive at the regulation speed of 50km/h in areas where they usually drive 70km/h.
  • They check brakes, door operations, and safety devices one by one before departure, delaying departure times.
  • They strictly follow stopping time regulations for passenger safety, increasing the interval between vehicles.

• Working hour compliance is possible in all industries. Work-to-rule related to working hours proceeds as follows:

  • Workers work exactly 8 hours, the legal working time, and completely refuse overtime.
  • They use break times precisely and avoid work-related conversations or activities during lunch breaks.
  • They refuse requests for weekend or night work, or demand the stipulated allowances for these.
  • If workload is excessive, they demand 'appropriate workload' and refuse to handle excess work.

• Administrative regulation compliance appears frequently in public services. Administrative work-to-rule features include:

  • Civil servants or public institution employees thoroughly follow all administrative procedures and approval processes step by step.
  • They go through all intermediate review processes that are usually skipped, lengthening processing times.
  • They thoroughly prepare and review documents, and if even minor errors are found, they restart from the beginning.
  • When providing public services, they give detailed explanations, increasing the time spent per case.

📕 Legal Status and Characteristics of Work-to-Rule

• The legal status of work-to-rule is somewhat ambiguous. From a legal perspective, work-to-rule has the following characteristics:

  • In principle, work-to-rule is following laws and regulations, so it's difficult to definitively call it illegal.
  • However, according to precedents, it can be recognized as a labor dispute action if conducted 'with the purpose of hindering normal business operations.'
  • If recognized as a labor dispute action, it must follow proper procedures (union member vote, prior notification, etc.) according to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.
  • Work-to-rule without proper procedures may be judged as an illegal labor dispute action.

• Work-to-rule has distinctive features compared to strikes. The differences from strikes are:

  • A strike is when workers completely stop working, while work-to-rule continues work but reduces efficiency.
  • Strikes result in large wage losses, but with work-to-rule, workers are considered to be working normally so wages are paid.
  • Strikes can be countered with replacement workers, but work-to-rule is difficult to counter because it involves following regulations.
  • Strikes cause great inconvenience to citizens and may face public backlash, but work-to-rule causes relatively less inconvenience and can more easily gain public support.

Key Issues with Work-to-Rule

1. Whether it constitutes obstruction of business: There is controversy over whether intentional work delays constitute obstruction of business.
2. Difficulty distinguishing legality: The boundary between daily practices and official regulations is often unclear.
3. Balance between safety and efficiency: Work-to-rule using safety as a reason can lead to excessive efficiency reduction.
4. Employer response limitations: It's difficult for employers to sanction actions that comply with regulations.
5. Citizen inconvenience vs. rights exercise: In essential public service sectors, conflicts arise between citizen inconvenience and worker rights.

3️⃣ Cases and Impact of Work-to-Rule

✅ Major Work-to-Rule Cases in Korea

• Work-to-rule occurs most frequently in the transportation sector. Major cases include:

  • In 2023, Seoul subway union achieved demands for safety personnel reinforcement and replacement of old facilities through a month-long work-to-rule action.
  • In 2024, the Cargo Solidarity conducted work-to-rule by following speed limits and refusing overloading, demanding extension of the safe freight rates system.
  • As of May 2025, Seoul city bus union has started work-to-rule due to conflicts over regular wage calculation standards.
  • Airline pilot unions have also conducted work-to-rule by strengthening maintenance checks and following fatigue management regulations.

• Work-to-rule is also used in public and manufacturing sectors. Cases from other sectors include:

  • In 2022, the medical sector demanded improvement in medical fees through work-to-rule by adhering to appropriate treatment times.
  • Civil servant unions demanded personnel reinforcement and treatment improvements through refusing overtime and strictly following administrative procedures.
  • In manufacturing, work-to-rule has taken the form of strict safety regulation compliance and strengthened quality inspections.
  • Work-to-rule cases are increasing in IT companies through working hour compliance and detailed meeting minute recording.

✅ Economic and Social Impact of Work-to-Rule

• Work-to-rule has various economic impacts. The economic impacts include:

  • Transportation sector work-to-rule increases citizens' travel time and delays economic activities due to expanded vehicle intervals.
  • Companies may suffer from reduced productivity, delivery delays, increased costs, and decreased credibility.
  • Slower processing of public services can lead to delays in related economic activities.
  • If prolonged, it can negatively impact the overall productivity and competitiveness of related industries.

• It also affects society in many ways. The social impacts include:

  • While experiencing service inconveniences, citizens become interested in worker rights and safety issues.
  • Work-to-rule often becomes an opportunity to publicize industry problems where excessive work and safety regulation violations have become routine.
  • It acts as a catalyst to adjust the balance of power in labor-management relations and bring parties to the negotiation table.
  • It sometimes triggers social discussions about the practical applicability of laws and regulations.

• The main issues in the current bus union work-to-rule are as follows:

  • The Supreme Court ruled that regular bonuses should be included in regular wages, but applying this creates additional cost burdens.
  • Bus unions are demanding retroactive wages that include regular bonuses in regular wage calculations and future wage increases.
  • The bus industry claims it's difficult to fully accommodate these demands due to financial burdens and is requesting additional financial support from local governments.
  • Seoul city buses are currently conducting work-to-rule by strengthening pre-operation safety checks and adhering to speed limits.
  • If negotiations fail, there is a possibility that 22 regional bus unions across the country will simultaneously begin a general strike on May 28.

4️⃣ Related Terms Explanation

🔎 Regular Wage

• Regular wage refers to fixed wages regularly paid to workers.
• Regular wage means fixed wages that workers regularly and uniformly receive for standard working hours. This serves as the basis for calculating various legal allowances such as overtime pay and annual leave allowances.
• The criteria for determining regular wages are: first, regularity - whether it's paid regularly every month; second, uniformity - whether it's paid uniformly to all workers; and third, fixedness - whether it's paid regardless of work performance.
• According to the Supreme Court's 2013 en banc decision, regular bonuses are also included in regular wages if they meet these three requirements. This has caused additional labor cost burdens and retroactive wage claim issues for many companies, becoming a major issue in the current bus union work-to-rule.

🔎 Three Labor Rights

• The three labor rights include workers' rights to organize, collectively bargain, and take collective action.
• The three labor rights are fundamental rights of workers guaranteed by Article 33 of the Constitution, including the right to organize, the right to collectively bargain, and the right to collective action. These are essential rights for workers to secure equal standing in relation to employers.
• The right to organize is the right of workers to freely form and join labor unions. The right to collectively bargain is the right of labor unions to collectively negotiate with employers about working conditions. The right to collective action is the right to pressure employers through methods such as strikes and slowdowns.
• Work-to-rule can be seen as one way of exercising the right to collective action among these three labor rights. However, in essential public service workplaces, the right to collective action may be partially restricted, making work-to-rule an alternative approach.

🔎 Essential Maintenance Services

• Essential maintenance services refer to essential public services that must be maintained during strikes.
• Essential maintenance services refer to services in essential public businesses that must maintain minimal operations during strikes according to Article 42-2 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. This is a system to prevent situations that significantly endanger citizens' lives, safety, health, or daily public life due to strikes.
• Essential public businesses subject to essential maintenance services include passenger transportation such as railways, urban railways, and city buses; public services such as electricity, water, gas, and hospitals; and banking and communication services. In these workplaces, a certain percentage of personnel and facilities must remain operational during strikes.
• Due to essential maintenance service regulations, work-to-rule is sometimes chosen as an alternative collective action when complete strikes are difficult. This is because it allows pressure on employers without completely suspending services.

5️⃣ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: I expect inconvenience due to work-to-rule. How should I prepare?

A: Citizens can prepare for work-to-rule in public transportation like buses in the following ways. First, it's good to allow more time than usual for commuting. When buses strengthen safety checks at each stop and adhere to speed limits, travel times can increase by 20-30% compared to normal. Second, consider alternative transportation options if possible. It's helpful to prepare various alternatives such as subway, public bicycles, and taxi-sharing apps. Third, use real-time traffic information apps. You can check bus locations and expected arrival times in apps like T-map, Naver Maps, and Kakao Maps. Fourth, consider requesting work-from-home or flexible work hours from your company. Lastly, it's best to refrain from non-essential outings or reschedule them for less crowded times. While work-to-rule causes temporary inconvenience, it's also important for citizens to understand that this is a legitimate exercise of workers' rights.

Q: What are the differences between work-to-rule and strikes?

A: Work-to-rule and strikes both belong to workers' right to collective action but differ in several aspects. First, they differ in work stoppage. Strikes involve workers completely stopping work, while work-to-rule continues work but reduces efficiency by strictly following regulations. Second, they differ in wage loss. During strikes, workers generally don't receive wages, but during work-to-rule, workers are considered to be working normally so wages are paid. Third, they differ in legal risk. Strikes may likely become illegal if they don't follow procedures like prior notification, but work-to-rule, literally complying with laws and regulations, has relatively less legal risk. Fourth, they differ in degree of citizen inconvenience. Strikes completely suspend services causing great inconvenience to citizens, but work-to-rule only delays services, causing relatively less inconvenience. Finally, they differ in effect and duration. Strikes create immediate pressure but are difficult to sustain long-term, while work-to-rule has less immediate effect but can be sustained for longer periods.