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Saenuri Party pushes `no work, no pay` for legislators

Posted October. 24, 2014 16:00,   

한국어

The conservatism innovation committee of the ruling Saenuri Party has decided to apply the “no work, no pay” principle at the National Assembly on Thursday. When the National Assembly is not in session due to disputes or when a member does not attend the sessions, their pay would be deducted. In addition, it has decided to install a coordination committee on adjusting lawmakers’ pay as an independent external institution to decide matters pertaining to lawmakers’ pay.

The terms and conditions proposed by the committee will be applied when a member has been arrested; the National Assembly skips sessions or has poor attendance; lawmakers do not attend the sessions without a reasonable cause. There were also opinions pushing for when a lawmaker is arrested, the relevant aides’ pay would also be cut.

These plans have taken a step further in addition to the freeze of lawmakers’ pay next year, which has already been coordinated in the ruling and opposition parties. Yet the National Assembly is expected to experience disputes during the process for specific legislation, given that terms and conditions of cutting pay may not be clear depending on cases.

Former lawmaker Ahn Hyung-hwan, who serves as a secretary at the committee, said, "Although each lawmaker may have reasons but to the public, negligence in the assembly will unavoidably be seen as not working." The committee will hold a meeting to discuss prohibition of lawmakers` holding multiple positions on next Wednesday.