The small and medium-sized enterprises sector voiced that a grace period should be guaranteed regarding the union law amendment, which includes the expansion of the user concept.
On the 19th, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises held a meeting with Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon regarding the union law amendment at the federation's office in Yeouido.
Attending the meeting were Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises President Kim Ki-moon, Minister Kim Young-hoon, as well as Kim Yu-jin, head of the Labor Policy Office at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, Jo Chung-hyun, head of Labor-Management Cooperation Policy, Yun Hak-soo, president of the Korea Specialty Contractors Association, and Lee Jae-gwang, chair of the Korea Electric Energy Industry Cooperative, among other small and medium-sized enterprise representatives.
At the meeting, representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises expressed concerns from the field regarding the union law amendment. Chair Lee Jae-gwang noted, "It is said that corporations excessively worry about the union law amendment, but the government needs to actively consider alternatives to alleviate these concerns and persuade the labor sector."
Chair Park Pyeong-jae of the Korea Surface Treatment Industry Cooperative mentioned, "Many workers at second- and third-tier partners are worried that they might become victims of the union law amendment," and added, "If a strike occurs at the primary contractor, it lowers the factory's operating rate and affects the sales of partner companies and the incomes of workers. I hope you will also consider the impact on second- and third-tier partners beyond just the parties involved in the union law amendment."
It is assessed that the construction industry, where multiple partner companies operate at a single site, will be greatly affected by the union law amendment. Yun Hak-soo, who represented the small construction industry, stated, "We hope that policies will be pursued in a direction where the intention of the system and the characteristics of the field harmonize."
Chair Jang Kyu-jin of the Korea Machinery Industry Cooperative Federation explained, "Among member companies, there are some that have not been able to recover their sales losses for several years due to long strikes during the collective bargaining process, which led to delivery delays and a loss of customer trust."
There were opinions that the shipbuilding industry could lose competitiveness due to this union law amendment. Currently, shipbuilders are spending significant time on negotiations with unions, and if partner companies are included in the negotiating scope as well, it will be challenging to secure competitiveness. There were also arguments for a grace period of over a year to ensure a smooth transition to the new system.
Chair Kim Ki-moon of the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises stated, "Due to sluggish domestic demand and the increase in tariffs in the United States, support for corporations is desperately needed, but issues that burden corporations are instead being discussed."
He added, "It is expected that the union law amendment will cause extensive damage to key industries such as automotive and shipbuilding, which raises significant concerns for small and medium-sized enterprises. It is necessary to at least take more than a year to sufficiently gather opinions from labor and management and prepare measures to reduce confusion in industrial sites."