Chonnam National University Hospital and Chosun University Hospital Reach Tentative Wage Agreement, Withdraw General Strike

Chosun University Hospital Union Holding General Strike Report Meeting. Photo by Yonhap News

Chonnam National University Hospital and Chosun University Hospital labor and management have reached a tentative agreement on wage and collective bargaining negotiations, leading them to withdraw the planned general strike.

According to the Jeonnam Regional Labor Relations Commission and the Gwangju-Jeonnam branch of the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union on July 24, the labor and management of Chonnam National University Hospital and Chosun University Hospital prepared a tentative agreement on this year's wage and collective bargaining negotiations at around 3 a.m. that day.

The mediation proposal presented by the hospitals to the unions, centered on wage increases, includes a 3% increase in base salary and a 10,000 won monthly increase in flexible work allowances, taking into account this year's public servant wage increase rate. However, for some items related to the collective agreement that were not specifically discussed, both sides agreed to hold further discussions in the afternoon of the same day.

The two unions, which had held a strike eve rally the previous day, decided to accept the mediation proposal and withdraw the strike. Both unions had commonly demanded a 6.9% wage increase and additional staffing to address the collective departure of residents, while the hospitals, citing management difficulties and other reasons, insisted on a wage freeze.

Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, the unions and management only confirmed their differences, leading the unions to request labor dispute mediation from the regional labor commission. Labor and management reached a tentative agreement after 17 hours at the third mediation meeting held the previous day.

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