With the enactment of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act amendment, known as the "the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers," contract call center workers in the financial sector are preparing to bargain directly with the parent financial firms. Some financial companies are said to have begun preliminary work for talks with call center unions. Call center unions in the financial sector plan to demand solutions to job insecurity and improvements in working conditions.
On the 11th, according to the financial sector and labor circles, the steadfast call center chapter of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union, which includes call center workers from KB Kookmin Bank, KB Kookmin Card, Hana Bank, and Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance, applied to separate the bargaining unit. They have begun full-fledged, separate negotiations with the parent financial companies.
The the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers, keeps single bargaining channels as the principle but introduces a system that allows separate bargaining units so the parent company and each subcontractor's union can negotiate individually. If a subcontractor's union applies for separation of the bargaining unit, the labor commission must decide on separation within 30 days.
Other call center unions in the financial sector also plan to enter talks with the parent companies. They are expected to demand that the parent firms directly hire call center staff and improve working conditions.
As of the first half of last year, among call center employees at 48 domestic financial companies spanning banking, cards, insurance, and securities, about 23,000 were indirectly employed. That is about 67% of all call center staff (about 23,000). In banking, roughly 90% are estimated to be employed by outsourced vendors under consignment.
If financial companies move to direct bargaining, there are concerns about expense increases, heightened conflict, and consumer inconvenience. With call center unions able to negotiate directly with headquarters, demands for wages and performance bonuses are expected to grow. As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, call center downsizing is anticipated, but the implementation of the the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers, has made headcount reductions more difficult. Financial firms that contract with multiple subcontractors also face the burden of negotiating with several unions at once.
If the financial sector, worried about expense increases, reduces the role of call centers and cuts counseling staff, consumers could face inconvenience. Some financial companies are said to have reviewed options to relocate call centers overseas while analyzing the impact of the the yellow envelope law, a new labor law aimed at strengthening the bargaining rights of subcontract workers, last year.
A commercial bank official said, "I understand it is labor's position that even when a financial company employs call center staff through a subsidiary structure, it is not considered direct employment. We will draw up plans after watching the situation at the firms that have begun talks."