Kim Jong-in: "Justice Party, Take the Lead in Labor Reform... Not Easy Dismissal"

Kim Jong-in "Equal Pay for Equal Work is Necessary"
Kim Jong-chul "Ask for a Progressive (Voice)"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Kim Jong-in, Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, met with Kim Jong-chul, the newly appointed leader of the Justice Party, on the 13th and emphasized the need for labor reform, stating, "I hope the Justice Party will take the lead in this."

At the meeting with Kim Jong-chul, Chairman Kim said, "After experiencing the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis, both the economic and social structures need to change. The most important task is our country's labor issues," adding, "The Democratic Party of Korea always claims to aim to be a progressive party and has secured as many as 180 seats, so they should do things that cannot be done under normal circumstances. Therefore, I suggested that not only the three economic laws but also labor-related laws should be processed together."

Chairman Kim pointed out, "What I am saying is not to make dismissals easier. Fundamentally, we want to create a labor union system that benefits all workers," and added, "Labor-management relations currently only involve employers and labor unions. A system should be established where everyone can participate and negotiate together, but right now, only the principle of workplace unions is in place."

Leader Kim stated, "If we implement a labor director system like Germany’s, allowing workers to understand management, strengthen social safety nets, and promote union membership by industry, we could discuss various issues in this changing era, but such aspects are not being addressed."

Chairman Kim said, "If we review labor-related laws comprehensively, we naturally have to discuss these matters. But if we outright reject them, nothing will happen." In response, Leader Kim replied, "If we proactively raise such voices as we have done so far, the Democratic Party will be stimulated, and the Justice Party can take the lead in speaking out."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Chairman Kim emphasized, "The urgent issue is the so-called regular and irregular worker problem, but with the current labor relations laws, there is no sign of resolution," and added, "People are trying to frame my remarks as advocating easier dismissals, but that makes it impossible to even have a discussion."

Leader Kim said, "If the People Power Party first speaks about equal pay for equal work so that irregular workers are not discriminated against compared to regular workers, or about providing more allowances like in other countries, it would have a significant impact."

Chairman Kim said, "I firmly believe in equal pay for equal work. Companies have a fixed labor cost budget for the year, and labor-management consultations naturally favor union members. Since a large portion of labor costs goes there, the number of irregular worker positions inevitably decreases," adding, "Without political determination, this problem can never be solved."

Chairman Kim criticized, "The Justice Party should become a distinctive party in its own right, but it seems to have been a party somewhat riding on the ruling party so far," and said, "As a party that pursues justice, as its name suggests, it must stand out to have value. Otherwise, people will inevitably be disappointed." Leader Kim responded, "We will do so," but also expressed regret, saying, "We have discussed various issues, but it is unfortunate that the media only reports on our stance regarding former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk or Minister of Justice Choo Mi-ae’s son."

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