The Gwangju Branch of JeonGyoJo Welcomes Supreme Court's Remand of 'Notification of Non-Union Status Lawsuit'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Metropolitan City branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo) stated that the Supreme Court's full bench decision to remand the case regarding the cancellation of the notification of JeonGyoJo's status as an illegal labor union is "a ruling that aligns with common sense and the spirit of the times."

The Gwangju branch of JeonGyoJo released a statement on the 3rd, saying, "Today marks the 6 years and 11 months, or 2,506 days, since the Ministry of Employment and Labor notified JeonGyoJo on October 24, 2013, that it was 'not recognized as a labor union.' It is also the 6 years and 11 months since JeonGyoJo sought a final ruling from the Supreme Court."

They continued, "We pay tribute to the judiciary, which had participated in the violent administrative oppression of JeonGyoJo under the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations and engaged in judicial corruption, for now regaining reason and reaffirming itself as the last bastion of human rights and justice," adding, "We had expected that the Supreme Court's full bench would issue a ruling based on the rule of law and reason, free from barbaric governance, to restore basic labor rights."

They added, "This is an extremely common-sense ruling that corresponds to the spirit of the times," emphasizing, "We hope this will be an opportunity to wash away the stigma of judicial corruption and to be reborn as a living judiciary fulfilling its role as a bastion of justice."

They also said, "Today's remand ruling is the result of protecting the aspiration for true education and the right to unionize," expressing deep gratitude to the many labor and civil society organizations that united in solidarity and to international organizations that have continuously voiced support alongside JeonGyoJo.

Furthermore, they stated, "Building on today's ruling, a new judgment will be made at the Seoul High Court, and immediate restoration measures must be taken regarding the state violence that occurred during the illegal union process," insisting, "The reinstatement of dismissed workers who endured great sacrifices must be carried out immediately."

They also demanded, "A sincere apology from the state must accompany this," and added, "Since the notification of JeonGyoJo's illegal union status fundamentally arose from the flawed Teachers' Union Act and Article 9, Paragraph 2 of the Enforcement Decree of the Labor Union Act, which effectively revived the right to dissolve unions, the National Assembly must boldly abolish these erroneous laws in light of this ruling."

Finally, they concluded, "The Gwangju branch of JeonGyoJo will continue to ensure the full labor rights of teachers and the practice of true education starting from today's ruling."

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