Ahead of the implementation of the 'yellow envelope law' (amended Labor Union Act Articles 2 and 3) in March next year, the government will activate a communication channel between management and labor to reduce confusion on the ground. If relevant concerns or issues arise from both labor and management, the plan is to prepare guidelines and manuals to address them. The government also plans to directly support negotiation consulting between primary contractors and subcontractors.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor unveiled measures on the 28th to ensure the smooth implementation of the amended labor union law, including ▲ soliciting opinions from labor and management ▲ supporting negotiations ▲ strictly cracking down on illegal activities. The amended labor union law, which passed the National Assembly's plenary session on the 24th, aims to allow direct negotiations between primary contractors and subcontractors, officially taking effect six months after a grace period. The ministry explained that 'for the amended labor union law to take root in the field, dialogue and institutional support between labor and management must go hand in hand.'
The ministry will first establish and operate a 'communication task force (TF).' Through this channel, organizations such as the Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF), the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises, and various industry associations will be able to provide their opinions regularly alongside the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and other labor organizations.
The collected opinions will be reflected in the manuals and guidelines after legal reviews if necessary. The timing for preparing the manuals and guidelines is undetermined. However, three key areas are expected to be included: ▲ employer's judgment guidelines ▲ negotiation procedure manual ▲ specific scope of labor disputes.
Additionally, the field support teams organized by local authorities are expected to provide negotiation consulting to major industries and corporations in their regions. The plan is to prioritize the shipbuilding industry to discover 'best negotiation models' by sector and to disseminate them through corporate briefings. A ministry official explained that the reason for specifying the shipbuilding industry is that there are many structures of primary and subcontracting within companies, and the more structures there are, the higher the likelihood of applying Articles 2 and 3 of the labor union law.
At the same time, illegal activities by both labor and management will be continuously monitored. To catch management's obstruction of negotiations or the illegal occupation by labor unions, a dedicated team and reporting center will be established. A ministry official stated that 'the intention is to strictly crack down on any illegal actions that may occur during the negotiation process, even before the law is implemented, to raise awareness.'
Minister Kim Young-hoon said, 'We will do our utmost to ensure that the amended labor union law takes root stably in the field' and urged both labor and management to establish a culture of participation and cooperation through the forum for dialogue between primary contractors and subcontractors.