"Frontline Police Officers Launch Solo Protests Demanding Establishment of Nationwide Police Workplace Council"

Urging Amendment of the Public Officials' Union Act
National Assembly Public Hearing Scheduled for the 25th This Month

The National Police Workplace Council Solidarity held a press conference on the morning of the 16th in front of the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, demanding the revision of the Public Officials Workplace Council Act.
[Photo by Lee Gwan-ju]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Frontline police officers have begun one-person protests demanding the amendment of the "Act on the Establishment and Operation of Public Officials' Workplace Councils" (Public Officials' Workplace Council Act) to establish nationwide workplace councils (WCs).

The National Police Workplace Council Solidarity, composed of chairpersons of police workplace councils nationwide, held a press conference on the morning of the 16th in front of the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, stating, "The outdated Public Officials' Workplace Council Act must be amended to allow the establishment of nationwide councils."

Since the introduction of police workplace councils in June last year, individual workplace councils have been established in over 90% of police stations nationwide. However, the current Public Officials' Workplace Council Act only permits the establishment of workplace councils at individual agencies. As a result, frontline police officers find it difficult to conduct effective consultations on issues that are hard to resolve at the unit level.

In a statement, the Solidarity pointed out the problems of the current workplace councils, saying, "There is no higher-level institution that can conduct consultations, there is no enforcement power for consultation outcomes, there are many restrictions on membership scope, and activities during working hours are prohibited, making even basic monthly meetings possible only after work."

Cho Young-gyun, the representative of the Seoul Songpa Police Station Workplace Council, is holding a solo protest demanding the revision of the Public Officials' Workplace Council Act.
[Photo by Lee Kwan-joo]

They added, "The National Police Agency currently allows workplace councils at each agency to consult only with their respective heads (city/provincial police chiefs, police station chiefs), and since it is illegal for the National Police Agency chief to consult with workplace council representatives, meetings have been refused on the grounds that they are not consultation subjects. Because the police organization’s policy decisions are made by the National Police Agency as a higher-level institution, police workplace councils must become nationwide federations capable of consulting with higher-level institutions," emphasizing this point.

The Solidarity stated, "Police workplace councils demand a legal framework that overcomes the limitations of the current Public Officials' Workplace Council Act and allows consultations with the National Police Agency, the policy decision-making unit," and added, "We intend to correct the police organization's improper practices and culture through consultations with the National Police Agency within the police workplace councils and to engage in autonomous activities to improve employees' rights and promote human rights."

After the press conference, the Solidarity conducted one-person protests in front of the National Police Agency and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. On the 25th of this month, they plan to hold a public hearing at the National Assembly to discuss issues such as ▲reasonable compensation measures for line-of-duty deaths and injuries ▲improvements to the police and firefighting personnel pay system ▲amendments to the Public Officials' Workplace Council Act, thereby actively voicing calls for amendments to the Act.

Meanwhile, three bills proposing amendments to the Public Officials' Workplace Council Act to establish a nationwide workplace council federation have been submitted to the National Assembly. However, since a single discussion at the full meeting of the Administrative Safety Committee, the committee responsible, in February, no further discussions have taken place, and the progress of the amendment bills remains sluggish.

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