The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced that, following the passage of the Yellow Envelope Law (amendment to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) in the National Assembly plenary session on the 24th, it will establish a task force (TF) to collect opinions from labor and management during the upcoming six-month period of preparation for the law's implementation.
The Ministry noted that it will form a TF to broadly gather various opinions from labor and management during the six-month implementation preparation period and plans to closely identify the key issues and concerns raised in the field.
It added, "We will set up a permanent communication channel for management and labor to continuously gather opinions regarding the practical application of the revised law and provide systematic feedback, aiming to minimize uncertainties during the law's implementation process."
The Ministry stated, "We plan to comprehensively review the precedents and judgment criteria presented by the Labor Relations Commission and the courts, and after in-depth discussions with experts, we will refine specific guidelines and manuals on criteria for determining the employer status of primary contractors, negotiation processes, and the scope of labor disputes."
It further mentioned, "Through local employment and labor offices, we will assess major corporations in regional areas that may be vulnerable to the Yellow Envelope Law and support consulting during the negotiation process as needed to create successful negotiation cases for primary and secondary contractors to coexist."
Minister Kim Yong-hoon said, "The amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act promote dialogue between labor and management from industry sites and are aimed at bridging the gaps in the labor market, serving as an "interest-promoting law" and a "law of coexistence," as well as a "real growth law" that works alongside labor." He further noted, "This is not an unconditional exemption for indiscriminate negotiations, unlimited strikes, or illegal strikes, which some are concerned about. The government will continuously communicate with both sides of labor and management to ensure predictability."
The Yellow Envelope Law expands the scope of the employer and the subjects of labor disputes while limiting corporations' ability to claim damages against striking workers. This bill is one of those that were discarded due to the exercise of the veto rights by former President Yoon Suk-yeol.
The Yellow Envelope Law was introduced in the plenary session the previous day, and a filibuster (legal obstruction through unlimited debate) was conducted at the request of the People Power Party. However, on that morning, the Democratic Party of Korea ended the filibuster through a vote with the ruling coalition parties.
Subsequently, a vote took place in the plenary session, with 183 votes in favor and 3 against out of 186 members present.