Labor and management at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction reach agreement on laid off workers
The long-term dispute at Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction subsided but labor conflicts continue in the metal industry surrounding mass layoffs at Pioneer Semiconductor Metals Corporation (PSMC).
On 9th November, labor and management at Hanjin reached an agreement on issues surrounding the layoffs. The Hanjin branch of the Korean Metal Workers’ Union decided to uphold the agreement at its general meeting on 10th November.
[ Main Details of the Hanjin Labor-Management Agreement ]
1. The company shall rehire 94 workers within one year. The period of employment shall be calculated from the date of reemployment.
2. The company shall pay cost-of-living allowances to the 94 laid off workers – 2 million KRW (1,700 USD) per worker.
3. Clause 1 & 2 shall only apply to workers who withdraw lawsuits filed against the company and applications for remedy for unfair labor practices.
4. Labor and management shall drop all criminal charges and minimize claims for damages.
5. This agreement shall take effect from the date all 4 protestors leave the crane.
Labor groups again seeking to make an issue of non-regular workers
Labor groups are expected to strengthen their political influence by again raising the issue of the increase in non-regular workers in the labor market.
According to ’Research on Employment Type and Non-Paid Workers’ published by Statistics Korea in October of this year, the number of non-regular workers reached 5.9 million (34.2%) in August, increasing from the 5.6 million (33.3%) recorded the previous year.
There was no progress on the non-regular worker issue in the first half of the year because labor groups were focused on activities related to revision of the Trade Union Act and the amalgamation of progressive political parties. Labor groups are therefore expected to resume raising the issue in the future aiming to resolve it through strengthened cooperation with political circles.
In October, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held rallies demanding a world without non-regular workers, while supporting election campaigns that raised the issue of non-regular workers. In particular, labor groups held a conference with Seoul’s mayor-elect Park Won-soon to sign a policy agreement granting regular status to non-regular workers.
Launching of the Korean Labor Union Confederation
The Korean Labor Union Confederation (the KLUC) was launched this year, made up of 70 trade unions totaling 30,000 members. Considering that they are much smaller than the other two umbrella unions, the KLUC is expected to focus on expanding their membership at this stage.
At the inaugural meeting on November 1, the KLUC union membership elected Jung Yeon-soo, president of the Seoul Metro Labor Union, as its leader and officially declared its establishment.
Trade Union
|
Number of Union Members
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Regional Public Corporation Trade Union
|
16,756
|
Korea Liberal Teachers’ Union
|
2,994
|
Korean Sanitation Service Workers’ Union
|
1,525
|
Korean Transport Workers’ Union
|
828
|
Korean Transport Industry Trade Union
|
852
|
Korean Metro Railway Industry Trade Union
|
2,150
|
① The FKTU shall not demand amendment of the Trade Union Act during the current administration.
② Issues regarding support for the public interests of labor groups, and decision on whether to hold the Time-Off System Deliberation Committee shall be discussed at the Committee on Advancement of Labor & Management Culture.
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