Yoon's labor reform drive sputters as umbrella union exits talks

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Sun, October 1, 2023 | 00:47

Politics

Yoon's labor reform drive sputters as umbrella union exits talks

Posted : 2023-06-08 16:08

Updated : 2023-06-09 08:20

Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) President Kim Dong-myeong, second from right, and other federation members chant slogans during a press conference criticizing the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's labor policy in front of the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Tripartite negotiating body becomes useless

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk Yeol's labor reform drive appears to be losing momentum after one of the two largest umbrella unions in the country decided to boycott official talks with management and the government, threatening to stage a full-scale protest against the Yoon administration, which it claims "shows hostility against all workers and reacts only with suppression."

"If we don't stop the madness of the Yoon administration, bloody suppressions of workers will continue and result in adversity for all Koreans, including 25 million workers," the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) President Kim Dong-myeong said during a press conference in front of the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul.

The press conference came a day after the FKTU's executive committee decided to boycott the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC), which is a presidential panel promoting trilateral dialogue between labor, management and the government and is also the only official communication channel between the three parties.

The FKTU, which has approximately 1.2 million members, has been the only labor group participating in the ESLC, after the more militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) left the council's predecessor in 1999. Conservative governments, therefore, have viewed the FKTU as the more reasonable partner for talks.

However, the FKTU did not participate in a trilateral dialogue on June 1 after police apprehended Kim Joon-young, general secretary of the FKTU-affiliated Federation of Korean Metal Workers' Trade Unions, on May 31 for obstruction of justice by using force to resist an attempt by law enforcement officials to end his sit-in strike on a seven-meter-high steel structure in front of steelmaker POSCO's mill in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. During the police crackdown, Kim suffered an injury to his head.

Although the FKTU did not completely exit the trilateral council, it left to its head the authority to decide on a walkout, signaling that it will be difficult to see progress as long as Yoon keeps trying to reform Korea's labor market and militant unions.

In response to the FKTU's boycott, the presidential office said it will not step back from its labor reform drive.

An official at the presidential office said the arrested union member "resisted by using sickles and batons… And who will view this as a proper form of resistance?"

"The ESLC is important, but the administration will not change its labor policy principle just to retain the council. Efforts for a disciplined execution of the law and improving unions' financial transparency will not be affected by illegal strikes," the official added.

The ESLC has been a vehicle for discussions and agreements for major labor schemes, such as the five-day, 52-hour cap on the workweek. Considering the fact that Yoon has been seeking to overhaul the 52-hour workweek system to give more flexibility to employers, discussions with labor unions at the ESLC were viewed as one of the necessary processes.

As the FKTU boycotts the dialogue, however, the council will be unable to seek the agreement of unions.

The law on the ESLC stipulates that the council can hold a plenary meeting when two out of four representatives, each from the government, management and labor, are present. Among representatives from labor, two are FKTU members and two are recommended by the umbrella union.

Main opposition Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Jae-myung, center, poses with young leaders of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions during a meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

This means that the council is unable to hold its plenary meeting. Due to this structure, the ESLC's role has been limited to holding forums or studies in recent months.

"We will not beg for dialogue with the government which does not accept the labor sector as a legitimate partner for talks," the FKTU president said.

Against this backdrop, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is strengthening its ties with both umbrella unions to ramp up criticism of the Yoon administration's labor policy.

DPK Chairman Lee Jae-myung met young leaders of the FKTU and the KCTU at the National Assembly and slammed the government for persecuting the country's labor movement.

"Police are harming workers who have already been suppressed just to put on a show," Lee said. "We need to once again review the perception of workers by the current government and ruling bloc."

namhw@koreatimes.co.kr