By Jhoo Dong-chan
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) decided Wednesday to return to the stalled tripartite talks on labor market reform.
Leaders of the umbrella group held a meeting at its headquarters in Yeouido, central Seoul, and agreed to a resumption of the talks suspended since the FKTU's withdrawal in April.
The meeting was originally scheduled for Aug. 18 but was cancelled after 100 members of FKTU affiliates, including the metal workers' and chemical workers' unions, staged a sit-in at the conference room in the headquarters. They demanded that the FKTU not return to the talks unless the government withdraws its policy guidelines on layoffs.
This time, however, they did not stage a sit-in or stop the meeting; instead, they picketed in front of the conference room.
"Although we have decided to return to the talks, we will never accept the government-initiated guidelines," said Kim Dong-man, head of the FKTU. "We will continue to negotiate to protect workers' rights."
The government guidelines outline conditions where employers are allowed to lay off workers deemed negligent or performing poorly as well as allowing companies to change employment contracts more easily.
Since its withdrawal in April, the FKTU insisted tripartite talks would not resume unless the government excludes guidelines from the negotiations.
To appease the unions, the government and the ruling Saenuri Party suggested a compromise earlier this month to set guidelines that require the consent of the unions.
Upon the FKTU's decision to return to the talks, representatives of labor, management and the government are expected to resume discussions over various issues including income disparity between regular and contract workers, general working hours, subcontract workers' rights and performance-based wages.
The Korea Employers Federation welcomed the resumption. "It is the task of the three parties to expand job opportunities for young people through labor reform," it said in a statement.
A source said the government wants to finalize legislation related to the reform by the end of this year. This may prove difficult because there are still significant differences in opinion across a number of issues between the government and unions.
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) decided Wednesday to return to the stalled tripartite talks on labor market reform.
Leaders of the umbrella group held a meeting at its headquarters in Yeouido, central Seoul, and agreed to a resumption of the talks suspended since the FKTU's withdrawal in April.
The meeting was originally scheduled for Aug. 18 but was cancelled after 100 members of FKTU affiliates, including the metal workers' and chemical workers' unions, staged a sit-in at the conference room in the headquarters. They demanded that the FKTU not return to the talks unless the government withdraws its policy guidelines on layoffs.
This time, however, they did not stage a sit-in or stop the meeting; instead, they picketed in front of the conference room.
"Although we have decided to return to the talks, we will never accept the government-initiated guidelines," said Kim Dong-man, head of the FKTU. "We will continue to negotiate to protect workers' rights."
The government guidelines outline conditions where employers are allowed to lay off workers deemed negligent or performing poorly as well as allowing companies to change employment contracts more easily.
Since its withdrawal in April, the FKTU insisted tripartite talks would not resume unless the government excludes guidelines from the negotiations.
To appease the unions, the government and the ruling Saenuri Party suggested a compromise earlier this month to set guidelines that require the consent of the unions.
Upon the FKTU's decision to return to the talks, representatives of labor, management and the government are expected to resume discussions over various issues including income disparity between regular and contract workers, general working hours, subcontract workers' rights and performance-based wages.
The Korea Employers Federation welcomed the resumption. "It is the task of the three parties to expand job opportunities for young people through labor reform," it said in a statement.
A source said the government wants to finalize legislation related to the reform by the end of this year. This may prove difficult because there are still significant differences in opinion across a number of issues between the government and unions.
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