Lotte Food Selected as '2021 Excellent Labor-Management Culture Company'

On the 29th of last month, at the 2021 Excellent Labor-Management Culture Company Certification and Plaque Presentation Ceremony held at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, Choi In-tae, Head of Support Division at Lotte Food (left), Jung Min-oh, Commissioner of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office (center), and Kim Il-bae, Chairman of the Lotte Food Labor Union (right) are taking a commemorative photo. (Photo by Lotte Food)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Lotte Foods announced on the 2nd that it has been selected as an ‘Excellent Company in Labor-Management Culture 2021’ by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.

The Excellent Company in Labor-Management Culture certification is a system established by the Ministry of Employment and Labor since 1996 to select workplaces that have exemplary practices of cooperative labor-management culture and strengthen corporate competitiveness through win-win labor-management relations.

This year, a total of 37 companies were selected as Excellent Companies in Labor-Management Culture, including 12 large corporations, 19 small and medium enterprises, and 6 public institutions, including Lotte Foods. Companies selected as Excellent Companies in Labor-Management Culture receive administrative and financial benefits such as exemption from regular labor inspections for three years from the date of selection, tax audit deferrals (only for exemplary taxpayers), preferential loan interest rates, and credit guarantee limit advantages.

Since its establishment, Lotte Foods has maintained a no-dispute record and overcame the confusion caused by the merger process continuing since 2011 through mutual respect and communication with four labor unions. Through amicable agreements, it completely integrated the previously different wage systems and established a progressive labor-management culture, leading in employee happiness and the creation of social value.

Specifically, it operates various programs such as ▲ workplace daycare centers at the Seoul headquarters and Cheonan factory ▲ one-year extended parental leave in addition to the existing statutory one-year parental leave ▲ one-year childcare leave for children entering elementary school ▲ mandatory paternity leave (one month) ▲ flexible working hours ▲ regular remote work implementation ▲ operation of the Charlotte Volunteer Group ▲ support for clubs ▲ sharing management information through YouTube ▲ operation of a junior board to listen to employee opinions ▲ establishment of a standard workplace for the disabled ▲ continuous improvement of working conditions.

Through these practices, Lotte Foods has received various labor-related awards and certifications, including ▲ 1999 Excellent Labor-Management Cooperation Company (Minister of Labor) ▲ 2000 4th Quarter New Excellent Labor-Management Culture Company designation (Minister of Labor) ▲ 2001 Order of Industrial Service Merit, Bronze Tower (President Kim Dae-jung, Minister of Labor) ▲ 2001 Labor-Management Cooperation Excellent Case Presentation Plaque of Merit (Minister of Labor) ▲ 2002 New Excellent Labor-Management Culture Grand Prize in the Large Corporation category (Prime Minister) ▲ 2005 Excellent Labor-Management Culture Company (Minister of Labor) ▲ 2013 Family-Friendly Company Certification (Minister of Gender Equality and Family) ▲ 2017 Excellent Labor-Management Culture Company ▲ 2018 Family-Friendly Company Re-certification (Minister of Gender Equality and Family).

A Lotte Foods official said, “Despite difficulties due to COVID-19, labor and management continue to cooperate and foster a culture of mutual development,” adding, “We will continue various activities that create social value based on employee happiness.”