By Lee Tae-hoon
Staff Reporter
Labor Minister-designate Yim Tae-hee said Tuesday that the government should ban full-time union officials from collecting pay checks, but permit several labor unions to operate in a single company.
``The government should no longer delay the implementation of the law that allows multiple trade unions and drops full-time union workers from payrolls,'' Yim said at a national Assembly confirmation hearing.
Asked by Rep. Lee Hwa-soo of the governing Grand National Party (GNP) on paying full-time union employees, nominee Yim answered, ``It is against basic principles. Employees shouldn't get paid if they work full-time for a union, while not involved in corporate activities.''
``What if the labor and the management have reached the agreement that full-time union members should get paid?'' asked Lee, a former Gyeonggi Province branch chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.
Yet, Yim was firm in his stance. He said labor unions should be financially self-sufficient and that is a prerequisite for them to have sound relations with management.
Regarding the approval of multiple unions at a company, Yim replied that more than one union body should be allowed so that they can compete with each other.
``Competition, which is the fundamental principle in the market economy, should also be respected in labor and management relations.'' he said.
On the temporary worker issue, Yim said he will make efforts so the government continues to give tax incentives to businesses which change the status of non-regular workers as permanent employees.
The government was planning to discontinue the tax benefits late this year.
Yim's hearing was scheduled for last Wednesday, but deferred because Rep. Choo Mi-ae of the main opposition Democratic Party, who chairs the parliamentary committee, refused to hold it unless the GNP apologizes for unilaterally passing the irregular workers bill in July.
President Lee Myung-bak is empowered to appoint nominees as Cabinet ministers as the hearing is not binding.