Justice Party Gwangju Branch Welcomes Supreme Court Ruling Declaring 'Notification of Illegal Union Status' Unlawful

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Justice Party Gwangju Metropolitan City Branch has expressed its welcome regarding the Supreme Court's ruling that the notification of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (JeonGyoJo) as an illegal union was unlawful.

On the 3rd, the Supreme Court's full bench overturned the lower court's ruling and remanded the case to the Seoul High Court in the appeal filed by JeonGyoJo against the Ministry of Employment and Labor, requesting the cancellation of the 'illegal union notification.'

In response, the Justice Party Gwangju Branch issued a press release on the 3rd stating, "This is a just decision made seven years after only 9 out of 60,000 JeonGyoJo members were notified as 'not a union' because they were dismissed teachers during the Park Geun-hye administration in 2013," and added, "We send congratulations and thanks to the teachers who have worked hard for the legalization of JeonGyoJo over the past seven years and to all those who supported them."

They continued, "The decision declaring JeonGyoJo an illegal union, made through judicial manipulation and political schemes during the 10 years of conservative government, clearly violated the fundamental labor rights guaranteed by the Constitution," and emphasized, "Moreover, since the International Labour Organization (ILO) has continuously recommended that the government guarantee union activities for teachers and public officials, this was an international embarrassment and a deep-rooted evil among evils."

Furthermore, they stated, "The legalization of JeonGyoJo, which was also a campaign pledge of the Moon Jae-in administration, could have been resolved by the government’s direct cancellation, but the government’s irresponsibility in leaving the matter unresolved until the Supreme Court ruling cannot be overlooked," and added, "We hope this decision will help JeonGyoJo, which was born shouting for true education and a true world in 1989, to stay true to its original intention and come closer to the people."