Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a rally in central Seoul, Tuesday, as the "yellow envelope law" comes into force. Yonhap
Subcontracted workers represented by unions across various industries are stepping up demands for direct talks with parent companies after Korea’s so-called “yellow envelope law” came into force Tuesday, with labor leaders preparing strikes against firms that refuse to negotiate.
Amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act took effect, expanding the legal definition of an employer to include firms that exercise significant control over working conditions, even without a direct employment contract with subcontracted workers.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a powerful umbrella labor organization with more than 1 million members, expects a major wave of bargaining demands from these workers in the coming weeks. The KCTU and its partner unions have begun sending bargaining notices to companies that oversee subcontracted work on behalf of nearly 140,000 subcontracted workers, with plans to present the overall scale of the campaign at a press briefing later this month.
“In line with the purpose of the law, the real employer must come forward and sit down to talk with subcontracted workers, and the system must work that way in line with the spirit of the amendment,” a KCTU official told The Korea Times. “If the real employer still refuses to show up, we are planning protests that will directly target them next month.”
On the first day of the law’s implementation, subcontracted parcel delivery drivers, airport ground crews and university custodial and security workers staged rallies, demanding that the primary contractors who dictate their working conditions meet them at the bargaining table.
Unionized subcontracted workers call for direct talks with Incheon International Airport Corp. at Incheon International Airport, Tuesday. Newsis
Outside CJ Logistics’ central Seoul headquarters, a parcel delivery union called for direct negotiations with the company, saying it effectively controls subcontracted drivers’ schedules and working conditions. At Incheon International Airport, unionized subcontracted workers urged the airport operator to enter direct talks. Meanwhile, cleaning and security workers at Yonsei University rallied on campus, pressing the administration to bargain with them directly rather than shifting responsibility to outsourcing firms.
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), another major umbrella organization, is also moving quickly.
“There are more than 7 million workers in special employment, platform work and freelance positions and they are increasing in number rapidly, but many of them remain exposed to legal blind spots and precarious employment conditions,” Ryu Ki-seop, secretary-general of the FKTU, said in a statement released Tuesday. “We will make every effort to expand our organizing efforts so that these workers can have their rights protected and the value of their labor recognized within the umbrella of unions.”
Source: Korea Times News
