Kim Young-hoon, the nominee for Minister of Employment and Labor, related to the companies where serious disaster accidents are repeatedly occurring, SPC, stated, "There will be multilayered elements at play, including not only technical issues and human errors but also governance issues." He noted, "I believe that we need to look at the various problems of SPC in an integrated manner and eradicate the root causes."
On the 25th, Kim made these remarks on his way to his confirmation hearing preparation office in Jung-gu, Seoul, regarding the lifting of the "stop work order" just a day after the death of a worker at SPC Samlip's Siheung factory, a little over a month ago.
He also reiterated his stance, mentioned on his first day of commuting the day before, that "the Yellow Envelope Law, reduction of working hours, and extension of retirement age are paths that must be taken." Kim remarked, "These issues, such as the Yellow Envelope Law, are not matters of choice," adding, "If we do not integrate the fragmented labor market and create a negotiation structure, the government is neglecting its duties. The government must support and facilitate negotiations between labor and management in various ways, and the Yellow Envelope Law is one of those methods."
The Yellow Envelope Law (amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act) includes the expansion of bargaining rights between primary employers and subcontractor unions, and excessive restrictions on damages for union strikes. The business community is opposing this, citing concerns about encouraging illegal strikes.
Regarding the criticism that "social dialogue has its limits," Kim noted, "Social dialogue is the most important means of resolving the conflict agendas in our society," stating, "Personally, I think negotiations are more difficult than strikes, but we cannot conclude without negotiations." He added, "Social dialogue can take place through various governance structures, such as the Economic, Social, and Labor Commission, the National Assembly, the Employment Policy Review Committee, and the Health Insurance Review Committee," expressing his desire to reflect on how frequently such dialogues have occurred.
In particular, regarding the "obligation to maintain employment" announced last month, led by the public interest members of the Economic, Social, and Labor Commission, he questioned, "Can we call that social dialogue when the labor sector did not participate?" emphasizing that "the participation of the parties is essential in social dialogue."
Meanwhile, on this day, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions held a press conference in front of the President's Office in Yongsan, Seoul, demanding the abolishment of the union accounting disclosure system. In response, Kim stated, "I will carefully examine the reasons why the labor community is opposing this," and added, "I will also look into how much the system activates social dialogue."