Multiple Unions to Be Introduced in 2012
Union Leaders to Be Banned From Receiving Company Salaries From July Next Year
Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
The government will introduce multiple unions at single workplaces from July 2012 and ban full-time union leaders from receiving wages from companies whose workers they represent from July next year.
Even though multiple unions will exist in a single company, they must form a unified channel for negotiations.
The agreement was made in a tripartite meeting involving management, labor and the government Friday.
The bill is expected to pass the National Assembly this year despite lack of support from the nation's largest umbrella union group and opposition parties.
The Federation of Korea Trade Unions (FKTU), the Korea Employers' Federation (KEF) and the Ministry of Labor agreed to delay the implementation of multiple unions by two years and six months, and introduce the wage ban from July 1.
From that date, union leaders and staff must work if they want to receive a salary, but will be allowed to have days off for union activities.
The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) is scheduled to include these codes in a revision bill that is to be submitted to the National Assembly next week.
GNP lawmakers will meet Monday to endorse the agreement before submitting it to the National Assembly.
A clash between the ruling GNP and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) at Assembly committee meetings is seen as unavoidable as the latter opposes the plan.
The DP said multiple unions should be allowed from next year and the issue of paying full-time union staff should be decided through independent management and labor accords.
The nation's largest union federation ― the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) ― made clear its opposition to the deal.
The KCTU, which was not invited to the tripartite negotiations, opposed the agreement because it said the measures will weaken the rights of unionists.
As the GNP has a majority in the National Assembly, the revision bill is expected to pass, but the DP vowed to mobilize all its power to block the bill.
The ruling GNP controls an absolute majority of 169 seats in of the 299-member National Assembly.
In other countries where multiple unions exist in a single company, employers tend to spend years negotiating and reaching agreements on working conditions with labor, according to labor experts.
They noted that this has a negative effect on business revenue and consequently both labor and management suffer.
Therefore, if the revision bill is not passed and multiple unions are allowed from next year, they say the main opposition DP could face a backlash.
The Federation of Korean Industries and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed regret over the fact that the ban on paying salaries to full-time union leaders was compromised.
Individual businesses showed mixed reactions to the agreement.
Hyundai Automotive Group expressed cautious concern, saying the agreement didn't fully represent the interests of management.
POSCO and Samsung said they respected the deal, although they were not fully satisfied with it.