The labor union at General Motors' Korea operation (GM Korea) said the company's offer to convert subcontractor workers to full-time status was a "trick to avoid criticism over illegal dispatch." With the union vowing a hard-line response over the replacement of subcontractors and the closure of the in-house service center, there are expectations that GM Korea's labor dispute will drag on.
On the 2nd, the GM Korea union held a press briefing at the Metal Workers' Union conference room in Jung-gu, Seoul, and said this while demanding the succession of employment for subcontractor workers who worked at the Sejong logistics center. GM Korea said the union was blocking truck access to the Sejong logistics center, preventing proper vehicle maintenance, but the union argued, "GM Korea triggered the problem."
GM Korea last year ended its contract with Woojin Logistics, the operator of the Sejong logistics center. Woojin Logistics then proceeded with closing the business, and the employment of about 120 employees of the company was also terminated. In protest, Woojin Logistics workers reportedly occupied the Sejong logistics center and blocked access by employees of the new partner, Jeongsu Distribution.
GM Korea also offered Woojin Logistics workers an opportunity for full-time hiring. On the 23rd of last month, GM Korea said, "We offered production jobs at the Bupyeong and Changwon plants to 107 Woojin Logistics workers, but some refused," adding, "So far, GM Korea has hired about 1,300 partner-company workers as full-time employees, and we plan to newly hire 48 this month."
The union countered that the reality was different. At the briefing, the union said, "Telling them to change job categories in a region entirely unrelated to where they worked is nothing but an unfair transfer." It added, "Among those who filed a lawsuit to confirm their employee status, there was also a verification step asking whether they would accept hiring on the condition of a non-litigation agreement (an agreement not to file suit over a specific dispute)."
It also argued that the full-time hiring offer was intended to avoid responsibility for illegal dispatch regarding subcontracted workers at the Sejong logistics center.
A GM Korea official said, "The offer to convert subcontractor workers to full-time status was decided as part of our social responsibility," and stressed, "The union's illegal occupation of the Sejong logistics center is not recognized as a legitimate industrial action."
GM Korea labor and management are continuing talks, including forming a special labor-management committee. The special committee held its first working-level meeting on the 30th of last month and the second on the 2nd, but reportedly failed to find much common ground. With the union planning a press conference or rally in front of the Blue House, expectations are that it will be difficult to resolve the conflict quickly.