The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises said on Apr. 8 that they held a briefing session on the revised Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act for SME HR and labor managers and related associations and groups at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises' Win-Win Room in Yeouido, Seoul.
The briefing was arranged to reduce confusion in on-site application of the revised Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, which took effect on Mar. 10, and to support small and medium-sized enterprises in their response.
At the briefing, guidance was provided on criteria for determining employer status and procedures for collective bargaining based on the interpretive guidelines of the revised Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act. In particular, practical response measures were introduced focusing on the "win-win bargaining procedure manual for principal and subcontractors," which the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) released in Feb. Officials from the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) also attended to explain key points.
Attendees shared difficulties that emerged on the ground during roughly a month since the law took effect and held a Q&A session.
Kwon Sun-jae, director-general for regional corporate policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "No unusual trends such as demands for bargaining targeting small and medium-sized enterprises have been identified so far," but added, "We organized the briefing so corporations can respond proactively to potential situations going forward."
Kwon continued, "To reduce on-site uncertainty, we plan to provide labor and legal consulting through business support teams at 13 regional MSS offices nationwide," and said, "We will work with relevant ministries so the revised Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act can lead to the establishment of sound labor-management relations."
Yang Ok-seok, head of the human resources policy division at KBIZ, said, "We co-hosted the briefing to reduce trial and error for small and medium-sized enterprises during the law's application," and added, "We will continue to gather on-site opinions and cooperate with the government so policy improvements can be made."