Government to Simultaneously Promote Ratification and Legislation of ILO Core Conventions This Year "Premature Ratification May Cause Field Confusion"

Government Approves Three ILO Core Convention Ratification Bills at Cabinet Meeting
Union Membership for Dismissed and Unemployed Workers...Business Community Says "Labor-Management Conflicts Intensify"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government is simultaneously pushing for the ratification of three International Labour Organization (ILO) core conventions that South Korea has yet to ratify, along with the legislation of the three labor laws. Since confusion is expected on the ground if ratification precedes legislation, the goal is to handle both simultaneously in the National Assembly within this year. The business community expressed concerns that if the government’s plan allows dismissed workers and the unemployed to join labor unions and strengthens the right to organize, confrontational and conflictual labor-management relations will intensify.

On the morning of the 7th, the government held a Cabinet meeting to review and approve the ratification proposals for three ILO core conventions. South Korea has not ratified four core conventions related to freedom of association and the prohibition of forced labor. At this Cabinet meeting, the ratification proposals for three conventions were submitted: ▲ Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize ▲ Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining ▲ Convention No. 29 on Forced Labor.

The government intends to simultaneously process the ratification proposals along with the amendments to the three labor laws submitted to the National Assembly last month within this year. The ILO core conventions are universal norms encompassing fundamental labor rights, and South Korea has pledged to ratify them since joining the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 1996. The European Union (EU) has raised issues under the Korea-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) procedures, citing South Korea’s insufficient efforts to ratify the ILO core conventions.

On the 10th, a press conference urging the ratification of the ILO core conventions was held in front of the Blue House fountain in Jongno-gu, Seoul, hosted by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and organized by the ILO Emergency Joint Action. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

However, the business sector strongly opposes the government’s legislative proposals. They argue that the core demands of the business community, which have been continuously proposed, were effectively excluded and that the content is biased toward labor interests. They are concerned that labor unions will gain strength, exacerbating conflicts between militant unions and management, thereby worsening labor-management relations. In particular, they take issue with ▲ allowing dismissed workers and the unemployed to join company-specific unions ▲ deleting the provision prohibiting payment of wages to full-time union officials ▲ easing regulations on the management of the working hours exemption system.

The three labor laws that the government is pushing to amend for the ratification of the ILO core conventions were originally prepared based on recommendations made by labor and management experts within the Economic and Social Labor Council. Initially, the labor sector advocated for 'ratification first, legislation later,' urging the ratification of the core conventions. However, if ratification is processed first, conflicts with the existing labor laws before amendment may arise. Therefore, the government has decided to proceed with simultaneous ratification and legislation within this year.

Im Seo-jung, Vice Minister of Employment and Labor, explained, "If the ratification proposal is processed before the legislation, various confusions may occur on the ground, and there are contradictory relationships in the legislation. The law should be organized first, then proceed with the ratification proposal, or at least both should proceed together. The legislative bill must be finalized together with the ratification proposal."