"Treating Entrepreneurs as Potential Criminals" - Korea Employers Federation and Industry Associations Oppose Labor Union Act Amendment

“Suspension of Plenary Session Agenda Needed”

User organizations have issued a joint statement opposing the revision of the Labor Union Act. The reason is that the expansion of the concept of employer could lead to the collapse of the industrial ecosystem.

The Korea Employers Federation and major industry groups announced this on the 25th at 2:30 PM in the 8th-floor conference room of the Federation of Korean Industries building. Thirty major industry groups, including the Korea Employers Federation, Korea Automobile Mobility Industry Association, Korea Petroleum Association, Korea Iron & Steel Association, Korea Construction Association, and Korea Shipping Association, participated in the statement.

Lee Dong-geun, the full-time vice chairman of the Korea Employers Federation, who made the announcement, expressed concern that “the revision indiscriminately expands the concept of employer, which will collapse the industrial ecosystem between primary and subcontractors and severely undermine our industrial competitiveness.”

He added, “In the current situation where domestic manufacturing is composed of multi-tiered collaboration systems by industry such as automobile, shipbuilding, and construction, if continuous labor disputes occur against primary contractors, it is evident that the industrial ecosystem between primary and subcontractors will collapse.”

Vice Chairman Lee also pointed out that primary contractors might sever transactions with domestic partner companies, leading to the bankruptcy of small and medium-sized enterprises, employment reduction, and industrial hollowing-out. He argued that the concept of labor disputes would also expand, making it impossible to hold workers liable for damages, resulting in the prevalence of ‘strike absolutism.’

Finally, Vice Chairman Lee stated, “The National Assembly should halt the deliberation of the Labor Union Act revision and reconsider the confusion in industrial sites and economic disasters that this bill will bring, so that companies can conduct their business normally.”

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