KCCI "Approval of ILO Core Convention Ratification Proposal, Business Community Deeply Concerned"

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] The business community has expressed great concern over the National Assembly's approval of the ILO (International Labour Organization) core conventions ratification bill.

The Korea Employers Federation (KEF) stated on the 20th that the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's bill review subcommittee of the National Assembly approved ILO core conventions, including Convention No. 87 on the "Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize," and warned that if the conventions come into effect, the power of labor unions will be excessively strengthened, exacerbating instability in labor-management relations.

The KEF said, "The business community has argued since before the passage of the amended Labor Union Act on December 9, 2020, that ratification of the ILO core conventions and the revision of domestic labor-related legal systems for this purpose should be pursued sovereignly as a national labor reform measure to advance labor-management relations in Korea," adding, "To this end, legislative measures to supplement employers' countervailing rights to meet international standards must be implemented simultaneously."

However, the business community added that it cannot help but be deeply concerned that the ratification bill of the ILO core conventions passed the National Assembly following the government's amended Labor Union Act without sufficient review of the legal amendment issues raised by the business sector.

The KEF argued that since the amended Labor Union Act will be enforced from July 6 and the ILO core conventions will come into effect, there is concern that the right of labor unions to organize will be significantly strengthened, increasing instability in labor-management relations. Therefore, it is necessary to promptly improve employers' countervailing rights to conform to global standards so that labor-management relations can be balanced and rationalized.

To this end, the KEF earnestly requested that supplementary legislation be prepared before the ratification of the ILO core conventions takes effect, including the deletion of criminal penalties for unfair labor practices, allowance of replacement labor, and a complete ban on workplace occupation.

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