Assembly should hurry relevant process to avoid trade friction
The European Commission warned Tuesday that it would "launch an expert panel if the Korean government fails to make progress in ratifying key international labor conventions soon."
Ever since the European Union and Korea signed a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in 2010, the EU has demanded Seoul ratify the four International Labor Organization (ILO) provisions, and entered into a dispute settlement procedure in late 2018. The two sides completed intergovernmental discussions last month, but the Economic, Social and Labor Council has yet to reach an agreement.
Even if the expert panel is launched and concludes Seoul's failure to validate the ILO provisions violates the Korea-EU FTA, it may not lead to trade disputes immediately. However, it is embarrassing that Korea is drawing international ire because it is reluctant to protect basic labor rights.
Out of the eight key ILO provisions, the four this country has failed to confirm concern the strengthening of basic labor rights, such as guaranteeing the rights of individuals to organize a group to represent themselves and to take action to defend their labor rights.
However, the four-party council composed of representatives of the government, management, labor and civic groups has hardly narrowed their differences and kept extending the deadline. As the nation can ill afford to waste any more time, it will have to wrap up the discussion at the council and refer it to the National Assembly. The problem, however, is the rival political camps are poles apart over ratifying the key ILO provisions as they are now.
The Assembly ought to ratify the ILO provisions, revise related laws as recommended by the council members representing public interests, and discuss the management side's requests on separate occasions. Regrettably, one can hardly be sure all parties involved would reach an agreement shortly, as the Assembly itself remains idle amid the partisan brawl.
It is pitiable indeed that the nation cannot make a minimal improvement in labor rights to shed the disgraceful label of a backward country in this area ― not even under the so-called pro-labor administration.
The European Commission warned Tuesday that it would "launch an expert panel if the Korean government fails to make progress in ratifying key international labor conventions soon."
Ever since the European Union and Korea signed a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) in 2010, the EU has demanded Seoul ratify the four International Labor Organization (ILO) provisions, and entered into a dispute settlement procedure in late 2018. The two sides completed intergovernmental discussions last month, but the Economic, Social and Labor Council has yet to reach an agreement.
Even if the expert panel is launched and concludes Seoul's failure to validate the ILO provisions violates the Korea-EU FTA, it may not lead to trade disputes immediately. However, it is embarrassing that Korea is drawing international ire because it is reluctant to protect basic labor rights.
Out of the eight key ILO provisions, the four this country has failed to confirm concern the strengthening of basic labor rights, such as guaranteeing the rights of individuals to organize a group to represent themselves and to take action to defend their labor rights.
However, the four-party council composed of representatives of the government, management, labor and civic groups has hardly narrowed their differences and kept extending the deadline. As the nation can ill afford to waste any more time, it will have to wrap up the discussion at the council and refer it to the National Assembly. The problem, however, is the rival political camps are poles apart over ratifying the key ILO provisions as they are now.
The Assembly ought to ratify the ILO provisions, revise related laws as recommended by the council members representing public interests, and discuss the management side's requests on separate occasions. Regrettably, one can hardly be sure all parties involved would reach an agreement shortly, as the Assembly itself remains idle amid the partisan brawl.
It is pitiable indeed that the nation cannot make a minimal improvement in labor rights to shed the disgraceful label of a backward country in this area ― not even under the so-called pro-labor administration.
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