Government to Reintroduce 'Union Membership for Dismissed and Unemployed Workers'... Business Sector Warns "Labor-Management Relations at Risk"

Re-promotion of the Three Labor Laws for Ratification of ILO Core Conventions
"To be submitted to the National Assembly by the end of this month... aiming for processing within this year"
Business Community: "Labor-management relations must be advanced progressively"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government will reintroduce the three labor laws for ratifying the International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions to the 21st National Assembly. The laws include provisions allowing dismissed workers, unemployed individuals, retired professors, firefighters, and public officials at grade 5 or above to join labor unions. The government aims to submit the three bills to the National Assembly by the end of this month and have them passed within this year. Given the ruling party's numerical superiority, it is highly likely that the bills will be pushed through. The business community opposes the bills, arguing that they will encourage "strong unions" and worsen labor-management relations.

On the morning of the 23rd, the government held a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House, where it reviewed and approved a total of 54 items, including 37 bills and 17 presidential proposals. The meeting included the three labor laws for ratifying the ILO core conventions: the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Labor Unions for Public Officials, and the Act on the Establishment and Operation of Labor Unions for Teachers.

The government plans to ratify three of the four ILO core conventions not yet ratified: Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association, Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organize, and Convention No. 29 on the Prohibition of Forced Labor, and is pushing for related domestic law amendments. The government’s policy is to simultaneously pursue ratification of the ILO core conventions and amendments to the three labor laws. In particular, the European Union (EU) is pressuring South Korea to ratify the ILO core conventions based on Free Trade Agreement (FTA) provisions, accelerating the legislative amendments. A Ministry of Employment and Labor official stated, "This amendment bill was proposed during the 20th National Assembly but was discarded due to the expiration of the term. It is being reintroduced to the 21st National Assembly. The goal is to submit it to the National Assembly by the end of this month and have it processed within this year."

The ruling party, which holds an overwhelming 177 seats, has more than two-thirds of the members in all standing committees. Even if the entire opposition party opposes, the government and ruling party can pass the bills in the plenary session if they push with determination. The government is also known to plan submitting the ILO core convention ratification bill, which was discarded at the end of the 20th National Assembly, to the 21st National Assembly after Cabinet approval early next month.

The amendment to the Labor Union Act allows dismissed and unemployed persons to join enterprise-level unions in accordance with ILO core convention standards. This has raised strong opposition from the business community and opposition parties, making the path difficult. Employer organizations, including the Korea Employers Federation (KEF), recently submitted their opposition stance on the bill to the government.

A KEF official told Asia Economy, "Allowing dismissed and unemployed persons to join unions enables individuals not directly related to individual companies to exert influence on company operations over issues unrelated to the company, which could significantly destabilize labor-management relations." He added, "The government should consider the demands of both labor and management in a balanced manner and, when promoting the allowance of dismissed and unemployed persons to join enterprise-level unions, comprehensively pursue employer demands such as improving unfair labor practices and permitting replacement labor in line with global standards to advance labor-management relations in a progressive manner."

Representatives from labor organizations including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and Workers' Solidarity are urging the ratification of the ILO core conventions and the halt of labor law deterioration at a press conference titled "Demanding the Guarantee of Basic Labor Rights for All Workers," held on the 9th at the fountain in front of Cheongwadae Sarangchae in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

The labor sector also opposes the government’s amendment, arguing that it contradicts the purpose of promoting ratification of the ILO core conventions and should be withdrawn. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) stated, "The guarantee of the three labor rights for special employment workers and subcontracted/indirectly employed workers is completely omitted," and claimed that "the concept of 'non-active union members' restricts the right of dismissed workers to unionize."

Meanwhile, the amendment to the Teachers’ Union Act allows retired teachers to join teachers’ unions. This is directly linked to the legalization of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU). The amendment to the Public Officials’ Union Act removes the grade restriction limiting union membership to public officials at grade 6 or below and allows firefighters, who are a specific category of public officials, to join unions.

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