Civil servants will now be compensated for the actual time they spend working overtime, as the previous 4-hour daily limit on recognized overtime is set to be abolished.

The Ministry of Personnel Management and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on July 21 that they are pre-announcing amendments to relevant laws and regulations to rationalize the payment system for civil servant overtime allowances.

First, the 4-hour daily cap will be removed to ensure that civil servants are compensated for the work they perform, acknowledging that the existing limit did not align with actual working conditions.

Previously, even if a civil servant worked more than 4 hours of overtime during periods of high workload, only 4 hours were recognized for compensation.

However, the monthly cap of 57 hours will remain in place to manage the total volume of working hours within a reasonable range and to guarantee the right to rest.

Furthermore, while the overtime limit could previously be extended to 100 hours per month only in exceptional cases, such as responding to urgent pending issues, and required prior approval from the head of the ministry, the cap will now be removed, and the authority for approval will be delegated from the agency head to the director-general level.

The government explained, "We took into account that there have been cases where overtime exceeding 100 hours per month has become inevitable, such as recent responses to the Middle East war situation."

In addition, the government is establishing a new overtime compensation allowance for Grade 4 civil servants in non-managerial positions who are not department heads.

Until now, Grade 4 civil servants in these positions were ineligible for overtime pay because they received management duty allowances.

However, considering the reality that many of these officials are still responsible for practical tasks before being promoted to department head, the government will now allow them to receive the allowance.

Given that they already receive management duty allowances, the overtime pay will only be provided for hours exceeding 25 hours per month, and only for those designated in advance by the head of each ministry.

The government is also strengthening management and supervision to put an end to the practice of formalistic overtime reporting.

First, the electronic personnel management system will be improved to verify whether overtime is actually being performed, and it will be implemented for all civil servants after a pilot period.

Under this system, employees will mark their overtime status in the system at certain time intervals, and department heads will then verify their attendance.

Additionally, the total overtime management function currently used for national civil servants will be incorporated into the electronic personnel management system for local government officials.

Local governments that set reasonable total overtime limits and effectively manage their personnel will be provided with administrative and financial incentives.

Sanctions will also be strengthened; while it is currently mandatory to request disciplinary action only for those who receive fraudulent payments twice or more, it will now become mandatory to request disciplinary action even for a first-time offense if the amount received is 500,000 KRW or more.

The amendment also includes follow-up measures to enhance professional expertise in the public sector, such as adding specialized officers to the list of those eligible for professional duty allowances, in accordance with the amendment to the Personnel Regulations for Specialized Civil Servants promulgated last month.

Minister of Personnel Management Choi Dong-seok stated, "This amendment is intended to provide fair compensation for the time worked," adding, "As we make compensation more realistic, we will also strengthen management against fraudulent receipt of payments."

(Photo: Yonhap News)