[2021 National Audit] Employment Minister "Difficult to Mention CJ Logistics Agency Owners as Primary Employers"

October 6 National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee Employment Ministry Audit

Delivery Franchise Owner's Extreme Choice Due to Pressure from Minnochoong Delivery Union
Occurred Amid Conflict Over Collective Bargaining with CJ Daehan Tongun

Central Labor Relations Commission Deemed CJ Obliged to Collective Bargain
Controversy Continues... Minister Ahn Says "Inappropriate to Mention Primary Employer Status"

Minister of Employment and Labor An Kyung-duk responding to questions at the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee's Employment Ministry audit held at the Government Sejong Complex on the morning of the 6th. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Amid the tragic case of a CJ Logistics franchise owner in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, who took an extreme step after enduring harassment from the Delivery Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Employment and Labor Minister Ahn Kyung-duk stated on the 6th during the National Assembly audit, "It is not appropriate to discuss the issue of the primary contractor's employer status here." The Gimpo franchise owner incident is closely related to the Delivery Workers' Union pressuring CJ Logistics, the primary contractor, to engage in collective bargaining so that subcontracted workers can demand wages and working conditions from the primary contractor, but Minister Ahn refrained from giving a direct answer on the matter.

On the afternoon of the 6th, during the National Assembly Environment and Labor Committee's audit of the Ministry of Employment and Labor held at the Government Complex Sejong, in response to People Power Party lawmaker Lim E-ja's question, "Are you saying you do not recognize the Central Labor Relations Commission's ruling that the primary contractor CJ Logistics is the actual employer of delivery workers and thus obligated to engage in collective bargaining?" Minister Ahn replied, "There can be various opinions regarding the employer status of the primary contractor," adding, "It is not appropriate to discuss this here."

Earlier in June, the Central Labor Relations Commission ruled that "the primary contractor CJ Logistics is the actual employer of delivery workers and has an obligation to engage in collective bargaining," while recently the Ministry of Employment and Labor expressed a position that this ruling "does not align with Supreme Court precedents and government administrative interpretations." Given that the Gimpo franchise owner incident stemmed from such pressure by the Delivery Workers' Union, there was keen interest in a responsible response from the government.

Kim Jong-cheol, chairman of the National Delivery Franchise Association, who appeared as a witness at the audit, responded "Yes" to lawmaker Lim's question, "Is harassment by the Delivery Workers' Union frequent?" He explained, "(The Delivery Workers' Union) has been making demands from the start that franchise owners cannot accept as a strategy to bring the primary contractor to the (collective bargaining) table, resulting in no progress in negotiations for five years." When Lim asked, "Since the Delivery Workers' Union is an industrial union, isn't it too burdensome for small-scale franchise owners to resist?" Kim acknowledged, "That is correct."

When asked by lawmaker Lim if there were any alternatives, Minister Ahn replied, "In any case, the Gimpo franchise owner incident occurred in a situation where labor-management conflicts and collective bargaining were not proceeding smoothly," adding, "Problem-solving through dialogue is necessary."

During Minister Ahn's response, lawmaker Lim pressed again, saying, "There was not a single dialogue with the Delivery Workers' Union. A person died. It is time for drastic measures. Is the Ministry of Employment and Labor refusing to recognize the Central Labor Relations Commission's decision?" Minister Ahn responded, "It is not appropriate to discuss the employer status of the primary contractor here."

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