 |
|
After the tripartite meeting on September 11, representives pose for a photograph.
|
Nixed proposal would have o.k.’d multiple labor unions at firms
The government on September 11 accepted an agreement reached between labor and business circles, which delays both the allowance of multiple unions at companies as well as a ban on the current practice of a company having to pay full-time officials of its labor union.
In an emergency meeting, Labor Minister Lee Sang-soo and representatives from business and labor communities decided to accept a 32-point deal, which did not include the two issues, both intended to improve labor-management relations but each controversial to one side.
Under the comprehensive deal, government arbitration at workplaces designated as "key public companies" will be prohibited, while companies will be allowed to deploy alternative workers in the case of a strike. Workplaces related to such services as the blood supply, airports, and the sewage system will be added to the list of "key public companies." The railway system, hospitals, utilities, and the central bank are among those currently in the category.
Minister Lee said he would submit the deal to parliament for approval.
The agreement came three years after the government, management, and labor circles started to discuss a roadmap to improve labor relations.
Nine days ago, The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of the nation’s major umbrella labor organizations, and the Korea Employers Federation, an employers’ lobbying group, reached an agreement to delay implementing the two controversial changes for five years. The Government was at first against any delay, but it later compromised with the two organizations to reach the final decision of delaying the changes for three years. The two changes are set to take effect in 2010.
The delay has prompted an outcry from the other umbrella group, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. "It is no less than a ’back-door deal,’ " said Cho Jun-ho, the head of the KCTU, hinting that there would be a tough road ahead for the delay deal to be adopted.
Just after signing the deal, the representatives from the three sides said in a statement that the agreement to delay the two issues was made taking into consideration the reality of labor-management relations and based on dialogue and compromise from each party.
