The amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, commonly known as the so-called yellow envelope law, was introduced to the National Assembly plenary session on the 23rd and entered the process for consideration.
On that day, the National Assembly presented the bill in the morning, and a filibuster was initiated at the request of the People Power Party.
The filibuster was started by People Power Party lawmaker Kim Hyung-dong at around 9:09 a.m. The Democratic Party of Korea, which holds an absolute majority, immediately submitted a motion to end the filibuster. As a result, a vote to conclude the discussion is expected to take place the morning of the 24th, followed by a vote on the yellow envelope law.
This bill includes provisions to expand the scope of employers and the targets of labor disputes and limit corporations' claims for damages against striking workers. It is one of the bills that were discarded when President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised his right to request a reconsideration (veto).
The bill, which passed the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee and other committees under the leadership of the Democratic Party on the 28th of last month, faced strong opposition from the business community until the last minute, calling for amendments.
Economic organizations, including the Korea Enterprises Federation and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stated during a 'protest rally' held at the National Assembly on the 19th that "the amendment to the Trade Union Act legitimizes labor disputes by subcontractor unions against primary contractors and puts our economy at risk by making corporate business decisions subject to labor disputes."
In this regard, President Lee Jae-myung expressed his commitment to enforcing the yellow envelope law during a meeting with corporate leaders accompanying him on a trip the same day, stating, "There are aspects in principle that should meet the standards of developed countries."
The Democratic Party is expected to present the so-called 'more robust company law' amendment after the processing of the yellow envelope law on the 24th. If the second amendment to the company law is processed on the 25th, the filibuster battle that began early this month for the processing of the Broadcasting Act No. 3 will be concluded for now.