SEOUL, The Minimum Wage Commission on Tuesday voted down a proposal to adopt different rates by industry next year. In a vote that took place during the commission's plenary session at the government complex in the central city of Sejong, 15 were against the different minimum wage rates, while 11 were in favor. There was one invalid vote. The commission is made up of nine representatives each from labor, management and a third sector representing the public interest. Since differentiated minimum wages were adopted for the first time in 1988, the same minimum wage has been set annually across all industrial sectors. The management side of the tripartite commission has been pushing for differentiated minimum wages across various sectors, citing economic challenges faced by small business owners and the self-employed. The labor sector, however, has been opposed to different minimum wages, arguing they run counter to the objective of the minimum wage system to guarantee minimum living standards for workers. They also contend that managerial challenges faced by small and self-employed businesses often stem from high rents and excessive competition, rather than high wages. The management sector said representatives from the labor side disrupted Tuesday's proceedings by tearing off ballots as they were being distributed to voters and stealing the gavel from the head of the commission, Lee In-jae. Ryu Gi-jeong, a senior executive at the Korea Enterprises Federation serving on the Minimum Wage Commission, said the management side will consider boycotting future meetings unless unruly behavior by labor representatives is properly contained. The legal deadline for determining the 2025 minimum wage was last Thursday, but the commission often goes beyond the deadline due to wide gaps of opinion between the labor and management representatives. The minimum wage for this year is 9,860 won (US$7.10) per hour. The labor sector has been calling for a substantial increase, while the management side wants a freeze. Sourc e: Yonhap News Agency