The labor community has urged the government and the ruling People Power Party(PPP) to stop attempting to amend a bill to extend the grace period of the workplace accident law for businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), an alliance of civic groups and the minor Justice Party expressed anger and regret for the ruling camp's attempts at renegotiation over the law that hit small businesses last Saturday.

They said the Serious Accident Punishment Act is also aimed at protecting the lives and safety of eight million laborers at smaller workplaces of up to 49 employees through safety inspections by management at least once every six months.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions(FKTU), another umbrella union, issued a statement saying that the administration is misleading the public into thinking that the law will ruin all small businesses.

Under the act, enforced since 2022, business owners face a minimum one-year prison term or a fine of up to one billion won, or around 749-thousand U.S. dollars, upon the death or serious injury of an employee in the workplace.

With the rival parties failing to strike a deal on an two-year extension, the PPP is attempting to convince the opposition to pass a one-year extension for applicable businesses in Thursday's plenary session.