Why are Naver union members demanding integrated bargaining across affiliates?

They say separate, decentralized negotiations across affiliates let headquarters avoid direct accountability and force managers to negotiate without the power to make decisions. The union says this wastes resources and discriminates against affiliates.

How many negotiations did Naver affiliates hold over the last year?

The union said 16 affiliates held 150 negotiations over the last year. It said those talks took around 1,000 hours in total.

What did Naver union members ask the headquarters to change in their letter?

They asked for a collective bargaining agreement across 16 affiliates, an improved integrated management process, expanded employee welfare and a centralized labor-management relationship.

Unionized members at Naver demand company engage in centralized bargaining

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Summary

Unionized members of Naver Corp. called on the company Thursday to engage in integrated bargaining covering its affiliates. Around 300 members gathered at the lobby of Naver’s second office building in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul, and sent an official letter to headquarters at 2 p.m. They said separate negotiations across affiliates waste resources and leave management unable to decide before headquarters reaches a deal. The letter asked for a collective bargaining agreement across 16 affiliates and for better employee welfare and a centralized labor-management relationship.

Key Facts

The union said 16 affiliates held a total of 150 negotiations over the last year.
Those negotiations lasted for around 1,000 hours, according to the union.
The members sent an official letter to Naver’s headquarters at 2 p.m. demanding a collective bargaining agreement across 16 affiliates.
The letter also called for improved integrated management, expanded employee welfare and a centralized labor-management relationship.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 20, 2026 4:03 pm KST

Unionized members of Naver Corp. and its affiliates gather at the company's second office building in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

Unionized members of Naver Corp., South Korea's major portal operator, called on the company Thursday to engage in integrated bargaining that encompasses its affiliates.

Around 300 members made the demand as they gathered at the lobby of the company's second office building in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul. The members blamed Naver for avoiding direct accountability as the parent company by forcing separate, decentralized negotiations across its affiliates instead of engaging in groupwide bargaining.

"Over the last year, 16 affiliates engaged in a total of 150 negotiations, which lasted for around 1,000 hours, but none of the management from the affiliates were able to make a decision before the headquarters reached a deal," the union said.

They demanded an end to such arrangements, saying it results in a huge waste of resources and discriminates affiliates.

Reflecting this stance, unionized members sent an official letter to Naver's headquarters at 2 p.m., demanding the signing of a collective bargaining agreement across 16 affiliates.

In the letter, members demanded the parent company improve its integrated management process, expand employee welfare and establish a centralized labor-management relationship, among others.

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