Ministry Launches Labor-Government Consultative Body with KCTU... Regular Dialogue on Labor Policy

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has moved to strengthen policy communication across the labor sector by successively launching regular vice-representative-level consultative bodies with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and now with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.

The ministry announced on the 11th that it had launched a "vice-representative-level labor-government consultative body" with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office. The meeting was attended by Lee Yangsu, Vice Chairman of the KCTU, and Kwon Changjun, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor.

Kim Younghoon, Minister of Employment and Labor (left), shakes hands face-to-face with Yang Kyungsoo, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), during a visit to the KCTU in Jung-gu, Seoul, on August 12 last year. Photo by Yonhap News.

The consultative body was established with the aim of enhancing on-site suitability and policy acceptability by facilitating broad exchanges of views with the labor sector, which is a direct stakeholder in labor policy. According to the ministry, rather than serving as a bargaining body to draw final policy conclusions, it will function primarily as a communication channel for continuously sharing major pending issues and exchanging opinions.

The operating structure consists of a working-level consultative body that meets monthly, a vice-representative-level consultative body that meets quarterly, and sector-specific subcommittees. The working-level consultative body will include the Director General for Labor Policy at the ministry and the Director of Planning at the KCTU, who will continuously discuss major labor issues and tasks for institutional improvement.

Vice Chairman Lee said, "Workers are facing complex challenges such as changes in employment and forms of labor due to industrial transition and the spread of artificial intelligence (AI)," and emphasized, "Through subcontracting negotiations between original contractors and subcontractors and supra-enterprise bargaining, the fundamental labor rights of all workers and the right to organize must be guaranteed, and for this, the institutional role and responsibility of the government must be a precondition."

Vice Minister Kwon stated, "This is the first time that a structure has been put in place for regularly meeting with the KCTU to discuss labor policy," and added, "We will faithfully reflect voices from the field in policy regarding structural issues such as industrial transition, low birth rates, and population aging." Referring to the recent agreements on reducing actual working hours and improving the retirement pension system, he also said that, based on these achievements in social dialogue, the government would expand discussions into a broader framework that goes beyond traditional tripartite dialogue among labor, management, and government.

The ministry expects this consultative body to serve as a channel for narrowing the gap between the field and policy. The KCTU also anticipates that regular dialogue with the government will provide an opportunity to expand its influence not only in responding to current issues but also in shaping the medium- to long-term direction of labor policy.

Previously, on the 9th, the ministry launched a consultative body with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and on the 24th it plans to establish a vice-representative-level consultative body with employer organizations as well.

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