Integrated Union Urges Revival of Gwangju-type Job Project

Labor Sector Must Also Cooperate with Labor, Management, and Government Amid Labor Crisis Considering Labor Commission

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The National Integrated Public Officials Labor Union (Chairman Lee Chung-jae, photo) issued a statement on the 23rd, urging the government and ruling party to actively intervene in saving the Gwangju-type job project, which is recently heading toward a crisis.

They also stated, "Considering the labor crisis due to the upcoming economic crisis, the labor sector also needs to actively cooperate in the tripartite cooperation system among labor, management, and government."

In the statement, the Integrated Union said, "It is very undesirable that Gwangju Metropolitan City and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) are blaming each other and abandoning the Gwangju-type job project," and demanded that "the Moon Jae-in administration and the Democratic Party of Korea return to the original intention of the Gwangju-type job project," urging "active intervention including the restoration of the labor-management cooperation system."

The Integrated Union also emphasized, "The upcoming 4th Industrial Revolution is making the future of labor and factories uncertain," adding, "Creating a model where labor and management coexist is essential for the future of the labor movement." Furthermore, they stated, "We must shield the impending economic catastrophe caused by the novel coronavirus crisis with jobs," and argued that the labor sector should "not break the system using minor complaints as an excuse but actively participate and cooperate in the tripartite cooperation system."

Recently, the Gwangju-type job project has been heading toward a crisis as the FKTU declared it would not participate in the tripartite cooperation system. The Gwangju-type job project was first discussed in the local community in 2014 and was actively promoted after being confirmed as a pledge of then-presidential candidate Moon Jae-in in March 2017.

In July 2017, it was included in the 100 national tasks and promoted as a national project.

The Gwangju-type job project has indeed raised expectations as a labor-management win-win job creation model, with participation from Gwangju Metropolitan City, Hyundai Motor Company, and the FKTU in the labor-management-government council. However, in March of this year, the FKTU demanded the resignation of several management personnel and declared the termination of the agreement, citing that Gwangju City was being manipulated by Hyundai Motor Company, thus facing a crisis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.