Union to decide whether to join gov't-led talks
President Moon Jae-in presides over the first meeting of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC) at Cheong Wa Dae, last Nov. 28. The Korean Confederation Trade Union opted out of the organization at the time, but it will vote today on whether to join the government-led consultative body. Korea Times file
By Jung Hae-myoung
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the nation's two major umbrella unions will hold a delegate conference Monday to decide whether to join a government-led consultative body.
The meeting is seen as a critical turning point for the Moon Jae-in administration, given that the KCTU's participation in the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC) will get government-led social dialogue on resolving labor issues back on track.
The KCTU would be an important part of the ESLC, as its members are from unions in the automobile, shipbuilding and steel sectors.
In order to vote on whether to join the government body, more than half of the KCTU's 1,300 representatives have to attend the meeting and a majority of those in attendance must approve of the measure. The union expects more than 900 will attend Monday's meeting.
Last October, it failed to hold a vote due to the lack of a quorum. At the time, the KCTU also did not attend an ESLC conference, citing the Moon administration's “biased” labor policy.
The representative unions are mixed on joining the ESLC.
KCTU Chairman Kim Myung-hwan and leading officials have encouraged delegates to participate in the ESLC, but Kim Ho-gyu, the chairman of the Korean Metal Workers Union, is against it.
If the KCTU fails to join the ESLC, the government's labor policy may lose momentum, which was why President Moon invited its leader to Cheong Wa Dae, Friday, urging him to engage more actively.
Kim Ju-young, the president of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) also joined the meeting. The FKTU has already participated in the ESLC.
Some authorities say ESCL may face new challenges even if the KCTU joins the body. If the KCTU makes the ESLC a place to fight for its own benefit and becomes uncooperative, communication could become even more difficult.
“The ESLC is a place to mediate between groups, not a place to fight,” said Moon Sung-hyun, the chairman of the ESLC.
“With that attitude in mind, it would be better if it does not join,” he added.
During the Friday meeting, President Moon also agreed to ratify core conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Korea became a member of the ILO in 1991, but has only passed votes on four out of eight core conventions, regarding the freedom of association and abolition of forced labor.