Election of Kwon Sunpyo as Team Leader and 3rd Branch Chief of the Integrated Union Gangnam-gu Branch

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Kwon Soon-pyo, team leader of the Youth Support Team in the Job Policy Division at Gangnam-gu Office, has been elected as the 3rd branch chief of the Gangnam-gu branch of the Integrated Labor Union (photo).

Kwon, who was elected through an online voting system on the 2nd, joined the Gangnam-gu Office in 1997 and has worked in key departments such as audit, general affairs, and planning, making him a highly respected talent within the office and a role model for employees.

He was an early member who established the Integrated Labor Union in 2018, when labor unions were virtually nonexistent at Gangnam-gu Office, and has served as the deputy branch chief until now, taking on the role of the 3rd branch chief this term.

The branch chief’s term runs from this month until May 2023. He plans to improve unreasonable systems and practices within the organization to foster a better working atmosphere and promote organizational development.

What sets the Gangnam-gu Office Integrated Labor Union apart from existing unions is that employees at grade 6 and above communicate anonymously via ‘KakaoTalk,’ while clerks use ‘Band,’ ensuring anonymity. This approach has promoted equality across ranks and eliminated the need for separate non-face-to-face communication methods even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Additionally, the executive team is composed of middle managers at grade 6 and above instead of busy clerks, showing a unique willingness to sacrifice for the employees.

The newly formed executive team includes Kim Jae-geun, administrative team leader of Samsung 2-dong, as deputy branch chief, and Kang Yong-woon, section chief of Irwonbon-dong, as secretary-general. Furthermore, Lim Sung-chul, team leader of Nonhyeon 2-dong, supports as the head of the Seoul headquarters of the Integrated Labor Union.

Looking at past union activities, there have been significant achievements such as ending the mandatory flag-raising of the national flag on holidays for all employees since the launch of the 7th local government, providing performance bonuses to all employees except those under disciplinary action, improving wage payment methods and salary increases for part-time workers, participating in union promotion review committees, excluding low multi-faceted evaluation scorers from promotion, promoting private outsourcing for roadside flag maintenance, providing flu vaccinations for all employees, and increasing special leave days to 10.

Moreover, the union actively cooperates in the four major areas of the 7th local government’s administration: eco-friendly city, future-oriented attractive city, inclusive welfare city, and empathetic administrative city, aiming to build a ‘dignified city Gangnam.’

Branch chief Kwon Soon-pyo stated, “We plan to quickly improve unreasonable factors (such as practices and systems) within the workplace and lead efforts to improve organizational culture by becoming the eyes, ears, and voice of employees, creating a Gangnam-gu Office where anyone wants to work.”