Gwangju Labor Office "Report Illegal and Unfair Labor Practices"

Ministry of Labor Operates Online Labor-Management Misconduct Reporting Center

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] The Gwangju Regional Employment and Labor Office (Director Hwang Jongcheol) announced on the 31st that it is accepting reports of illegal and unfair acts by labor and management.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor operates the ‘Online Labor-Management Misconduct Reporting Center’ to improve illegal and unfair practices in the field.

The reporting center was established to promptly correct unfair labor-management practices in the field by encouraging workers and union members to actively report various illegal and unfair acts that have been secretly carried out within workplaces and labor unions without fear of disadvantages.

All illegal and unfair acts by labor and management that hinder a rational and fair labor-management culture are subject to reporting.

Received cases will be handled promptly and strictly according to laws and principles, regardless of labor or management.

Reports can be made on illegal and unfair acts by management such as interference with joining or leaving a specific union, misuse of union funds, violence or threats by labor or management, and forced hiring.

Acts such as unfair labor practices, employment-related gender discrimination, and workplace sexual harassment can be reported more easily through linkage with the existing online reporting center.

When a report is received at the reporting center, labor inspectors will promptly investigate, guide improvements on legal violations, and take additional measures according to relevant laws if improvements are not made.

Serious legal violations will be subject to judicial action through recognition investigations and labor inspections. For matters requiring inter-agency cooperation, a close cooperative system will be established with relevant agencies such as the local police station and local governments for prompt handling.

Starting from the 2nd of next month, the ‘Comprehensive Wage and Fixed Overtime Abuse Reporting’ within the Online Labor-Management Misconduct Reporting Center will also begin accepting reports.

Abuse of comprehensive wages and fixed overtime refers to illegal and unfair practices causing unpaid labor, i.e., wage arrears (violation of the Labor Standards Act), and long working hours caused by ‘working hours ≠ cost.’ The operation of the reporting center is a measure to dispel concerns about long working hours and unpaid labor raised during recent working hours reform discussions and to establish ‘fairness and rule of law’ order in the labor market.

Immediate rights remedies will be provided for unpaid overtime allowances and violations of the overtime limit (52 hours per week). An anonymous reporting center is operated for workers concerned about identity exposure.

Workplaces reported anonymously will be managed as suspected workplaces abusing comprehensive wages and fixed overtime, and after preliminary investigations, the Gwangju Employment and Labor Office plans to conduct occasional inspections or planned inspections in the second half of the year.

Director Hwang Jongcheol said, “The reporting center will contribute to protecting the rights and interests of workers and union members by promptly handling problems that have been conventionally tolerated according to laws and principles, enhancing the stability of labor-management relations and establishing labor-management rule of law.” He added, “Labor inspectors must thoroughly protect the identity of reporters while handling received cases promptly and strictly.”

He continued, “We look forward to sincere reports from those who are suffering from violence, threats, unfair and opaque union operations in the labor field, and those who are suffering from unpaid labor due to the so-called comprehensive wage system.”