By Cho Jae-hyon, Kim Jae-won
The government will not accept the International Labor Office's (ILO) petition to approve the establishment of a labor union for government employees, Employment and Labor Minister Phang Ha-nam said.
The international labor organization has long pressured the country to allow civil servants to establish their own union.
However, the nation's top labor policymaker made it clear that the government will not approve the registration of the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU) as a legal entity.
His response came two weeks after the ILO sent a letter to the 55-year-old minister, asking him to explain why the ministry disapproved of the trade union. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, a director of the International Labor Standards Department of the ILO, expressed her concerns in the letter, saying that she received a communication "containing allegations of infringement of trade union rights."
The KGEU has 140,000 members, making it one of the biggest umbrella organizations in the country.
The ministry refuses to acknowledge it as a legal entity on the grounds that KGEU's internal articles allowing fired workers to gain membership constitutes a breach in the nation's labor laws. This is the fourth time that the government has not approved the registration since 2009.
"The ILO has its own principles, but we have our own domestic laws which we should follow," Phang said in an interview.
He said that the government will also apply the same standards to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU). The KTU has accepted fired teachers as members, creating conflict with the government.
"We cannot overlook the KTU forever. We already informed the union of our stance that it should stop illegal activities."
Asked about ongoing disputes as to whether bonuses and other extra allowances should be included in "regular wages," he said a task force is working to come out with a clearer stance on the issue in September.
The definition of regular wages is important as it becomes the base for calculating overtime payments.
It is a sensitive labor issue for both local and foreign companies here as they will have to share a huge burden depending on how regular wages are defined by the government.
"We are in the final stage of our study on regular wages. We aim to finish all legal procedures by the end of September. We cannot drag our feet on the issue," Phang said.
Some 140 trade unions have filed petitions with local courts to demand compensation for what they claim to be unpaid wages. How the government will define regular wages will not only determine the size of the compensation companies will have to share but will also have a substantial impact on corporate wage costs going forward.
"We need to use the ongoing dispute over regular wages as an opportunity to remove all unreasonable elements in the structure of wages. The overall wage system should be restructured into a more transparent and predictable one," the minister said.
"Instead of hiring new employees, companies tend to use the existing workforce in doing overtime work. But they are working too long. We also need to change this. We should reduce work hours to share jobs for a larger number of people, and raise the quality of life."
Touching upon foreign workers, the minister pointed out that the government needs to manage the foreign workforce more efficiently so as to help them make a greater contribution to the country's growth.
"It is true that policies on the foreign workforce are not managed properly, as professionals are managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Ministry of Education is in charge of policies on foreign teachers. We are dealing with matters regarding foreign workers who work under the Employment Permit System, or EPS."
Phang said the government needs to more systemically handle foreign workers with a long-term vision. "All related ministries should cooperate to more efficiently manage foreign workers as they will play a greater role in our economy."
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Phang Ha-nam |
The international labor organization has long pressured the country to allow civil servants to establish their own union.
However, the nation's top labor policymaker made it clear that the government will not approve the registration of the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU) as a legal entity.
His response came two weeks after the ILO sent a letter to the 55-year-old minister, asking him to explain why the ministry disapproved of the trade union. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, a director of the International Labor Standards Department of the ILO, expressed her concerns in the letter, saying that she received a communication "containing allegations of infringement of trade union rights."
The KGEU has 140,000 members, making it one of the biggest umbrella organizations in the country.
The ministry refuses to acknowledge it as a legal entity on the grounds that KGEU's internal articles allowing fired workers to gain membership constitutes a breach in the nation's labor laws. This is the fourth time that the government has not approved the registration since 2009.
"The ILO has its own principles, but we have our own domestic laws which we should follow," Phang said in an interview.
He said that the government will also apply the same standards to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU). The KTU has accepted fired teachers as members, creating conflict with the government.
"We cannot overlook the KTU forever. We already informed the union of our stance that it should stop illegal activities."
Asked about ongoing disputes as to whether bonuses and other extra allowances should be included in "regular wages," he said a task force is working to come out with a clearer stance on the issue in September.
The definition of regular wages is important as it becomes the base for calculating overtime payments.
It is a sensitive labor issue for both local and foreign companies here as they will have to share a huge burden depending on how regular wages are defined by the government.
"We are in the final stage of our study on regular wages. We aim to finish all legal procedures by the end of September. We cannot drag our feet on the issue," Phang said.
Some 140 trade unions have filed petitions with local courts to demand compensation for what they claim to be unpaid wages. How the government will define regular wages will not only determine the size of the compensation companies will have to share but will also have a substantial impact on corporate wage costs going forward.
"We need to use the ongoing dispute over regular wages as an opportunity to remove all unreasonable elements in the structure of wages. The overall wage system should be restructured into a more transparent and predictable one," the minister said.
"Instead of hiring new employees, companies tend to use the existing workforce in doing overtime work. But they are working too long. We also need to change this. We should reduce work hours to share jobs for a larger number of people, and raise the quality of life."
Touching upon foreign workers, the minister pointed out that the government needs to manage the foreign workforce more efficiently so as to help them make a greater contribution to the country's growth.
"It is true that policies on the foreign workforce are not managed properly, as professionals are managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while the Ministry of Education is in charge of policies on foreign teachers. We are dealing with matters regarding foreign workers who work under the Employment Permit System, or EPS."
Phang said the government needs to more systemically handle foreign workers with a long-term vision. "All related ministries should cooperate to more efficiently manage foreign workers as they will play a greater role in our economy."
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