Amid the exit of People Power Party, opposition lawmakers approve by voice vote
Judiciary Committee and other parliamentary procedures remain
Ruling party reviews proposal for President Yoon's veto exercise
[Asia Economy reporters Naju-seok and Park Jun-i] The "Yellow Envelope Act (Amendment to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act)" was passed solely by the opposition party during the plenary session of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee. The People Power Party, protesting the passage of the bill, walked out and declared their intention to block it by requesting President Yoon Seok-yeol to exercise his veto power.
On the 21st, during the plenary session of the Environment and Labor Committee, the Yellow Envelope Act was passed with unanimous approval from members of the Democratic Party and the Justice Party who participated in the voice vote, while members of the People Power Party had left the session.
People Power Party members attached signs reading "Firm Opposition to the Illegal Strike Promotion Act" on their laptops in front of their seats to express their opposition. The ruling and opposition parties clashed over the impact of this law on industrial peace. People Power Party lawmaker Ji Seong-ho criticized, "Can we pretend not to know that illegal strikes sporadically occur and affect economic activities?" Justice Party floor leader Lee Eun-joo countered, "This law is an Industrial Peace Guarantee Act," adding, "It represents a substantial step toward guaranteeing the constitutionally protected three labor rights."
The People Power Party also pointed out that there was insufficient discussion on the Yellow Envelope Act before the vote. People Power Party lawmaker Lee Joo-hwan criticized, "There was no proper debate," and said, "We should strive to guarantee property rights and labor rights, but if it is forcibly passed without proper process, who will take responsibility?" Democratic Party lawmaker Jeon Yong-gi responded to the claim of a forced passage by saying, "The People Power Party has been avoiding deliberation."
On the 21st, at the Environment and Labor Committee plenary meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, signs opposing the amendment to the Labor Union Act were attached to the seats of ruling party lawmakers. The Democratic Party of Korea announced plans to pass the amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act at this meeting. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@
After the bill was passed, Jeon Hae-cheol, chairman of the Environment and Labor Committee from the Democratic Party, explained the process, saying, "The Yellow Envelope Act was initiated in 2020 by Democratic Party lawmaker Kang Byung-won, followed by 11 lawmakers including Lee Su-jin and Lee Eun-joo, and a petition with 50,000 signatures was submitted to the committee." He added, "As chairman, I believed that committee operation based on bipartisan agreement was important, so we held a legislative hearing, four subcommittee meetings, and a coordination committee to review the bill." He expressed regret that "dialogue or compromise on contentious issues did not progress and no consensus was reached," but said, "The amendment to the Labor Union Act passed this time is meaningful in that it aims to implement the three labor rights and the purpose of the Labor Union Act, reflecting rulings from the Supreme Court and lower courts, as well as decisions from the National Human Rights Commission." He continued, "The amendment passed by the Environment and Labor Committee protects the constitutionally guaranteed three labor rights and aims to alleviate the suffering of workers and their families who have endured difficult times due to excessive damages and provisional seizures," and expressed strong regret over "the mistaken framing that the bill prohibits damages altogether, which has led to attacks and criticism."
Before the vote, the opposition also condemned a press conference held by Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik, who pointed out problems with the Yellow Envelope Act. The minister held a press conference the previous day, calling the act "legislation that shakes the foundation of the rule of law" and requested reconsideration by the National Assembly. Regarding this, Chairman Jeon said, "It was inappropriate for the minister to hold a press conference externally," and added, "While the government can naturally oppose during the discussion process, the more important thing is that the government must continuously strive to find a compromise solution."
With the Yellow Envelope Act passing the Environment and Labor Committee plenary session, it will be referred to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee for systematic and detailed review. However, since the chairperson of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee is a member of the People Power Party, the bill's submission and review process is expected to face difficulties. If the bill is blocked in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, the opposition is expected to attempt direct submission to the plenary session.
The People Power Party leadership also views the passage of the Yellow Envelope Act in the National Assembly plenary session as inevitable, albeit time-consuming. In this context, the exercise of the presidential veto is being taken as a foregone conclusion. On the day of the Environment and Labor Committee meeting, People Power Party floor leader Joo Ho-young said at a party floor strategy meeting held before the committee session, "If the Yellow Envelope Act passes (the National Assembly), it is not only unconstitutional but could also cause serious harm to our economy, so we plan to actively recommend that the president exercise his veto power."
People Power Party lawmaker Im E-ja, who serves as the committee secretary for the Environment and Labor Committee, told this outlet in a phone interview, "If it goes to the Legislation and Judiciary Committee, it can be held up for up to 60 days, and if it does not pass, it will return to the Environment and Labor Committee and then be directly submitted to the plenary session, where it is likely to be approved." However, she added, "If President Yoon exercises his veto, a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly is required to override it, so it will likely be rejected." Lawmaker Im added, "It may be burdensome for President Yoon to exercise the veto, but there is no other way."
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