Integrated Union Criticizes Public Officials Labor Union Act Enforcement Decree Amendment as "Not Compliant with International Labor Standards"

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The National Integrated Public Officials Labor Union (Chairman An Seong-eun, Integrated Union) issued a statement on the 24th regarding the passage of the revised Enforcement Decree of the Public Officials Labor Union Act at the Cabinet meeting, pointing out that “the revised enforcement decree does not comply with international labor standards,” and emphasized, “We want the Public Officials Labor Union Act that guarantees the autonomy of labor unions to be implemented.”

The Integrated Union expressed strong regret over the government’s announcement on the 22nd that the revised Enforcement Decree of Labor Relations Laws related to the ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions, including the Public Officials Labor Union Act, had passed the Cabinet meeting, stating, “Contrary to the original intent of revising the enforcement decree to comply with internationally accepted labor standards, there are provisions that are problematic.”

The Integrated Union first criticized the failure to minimize the scope of public officials prohibited from joining labor unions. The revised enforcement decree prohibits public officials who exercise command and supervisory authority over other public officials or who oversee the work of other public officials from joining labor unions, which is clearly expected to expand the scope of public officials banned from union membership in the workplace.

Regarding the appointment of negotiation representatives and the unification of negotiation channels, the union pointed out that it is highly inappropriate for the employer to intervene by verifying the number of union members if the unions fail to reach an agreement within the period. The revised enforcement decree includes a provision that “if negotiation representatives are not appointed within 20 days from the announcement date, the Minister of Employment and Labor, etc., is allowed to intervene in the process of verifying the number of union members,” which the union emphasized “raises serious concerns about infringement on the autonomy of labor unions.”

In cases where the appointment of negotiation representatives among unions does not proceed smoothly, the union demanded that “it would be more desirable for the Labor Relations Commission to mediate so that the negotiating unions can agree and appoint representatives.”

Ultimately, the Integrated Union stated, “International labor standards, as reflected in the ILO core conventions, are based on the principle of maximizing the autonomy of labor unions and striving for the improvement of labor conditions through labor-management agreements,” and emphasized, “The revised Enforcement Decree of the Public Officials Labor Union Act deviates from the principle of maximizing union autonomy, and thus it is highly inadequate in terms of internationally accepted labor standards.”

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