Kim Hyeong-dong: "Conflict between government and labor? Indicators show more stability than in the past"

"Other Tripartite Dialogue Bodies Besides the Economic and Social Council Are Operating"
Ruling Party Lawmaker Urges Korean Confederation of Trade Unions to Participate in the Economic and Social Council

On the 9th, Kim Hyeong-dong, a member of the People Power Party, claimed that "when looking at the number of strikes, disputes, and applications for labor commission mediation, the labor-government relationship is considerably stable compared to the past," in response to concerns about labor-government conflicts arising from the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) declaring non-participation in the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC).

In an interview with MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Kim was asked about labor-government conflicts and said, "I think you are referring to the labor-government relationship during the first year of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, and there are various related indicators," adding this statement.

Kim argued that dialogue bodies at the central and regional levels outside of the ESLC are still well maintained. When asked about KCTU's non-participation in the ESLC, Kim explained, "While the ESLC exists as a social dialogue body at the central level, individual labor-management relations or regional and occupational labor-management-government or labor-management-civil dialogue have been continuously ongoing."

Kim Hyung-dong, Member of the People Power Party. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Kim claimed, "Even during previous administrations, social dialogue bodies have not functioned properly." He said, "Looking back, the KCTU has completely abstained since the Moon Jae-in administration, and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has not actively led labor issues or labor policies through social dialogue bodies since the early Moon Jae-in administration’s social agreement on expanding the calculation period for flexible working hours, so there is not much difference before and after."

He emphasized, "At this point, an analysis is needed on what role social dialogue bodies should play and whether they have truly performed properly."

Kim urged the KCTU not to sever ties with the government and social dialogue. He stressed, "The ESLC is a very important social dialogue body, so I sincerely hope they participate even now," and added, "The two major trade unions are very important public organizations in our society." He also said, "If the government side or police have excessive parts in administration and enforcement, those should be addressed accordingly," adding, "It is necessary to confirm and reflect on the need to properly perform public functions."

Regarding the self-immolation death of a construction union official and allegations of excessive suppression of a metal workers’ union official, he said, "Since the incidents are currently under investigation and trial, it is premature for me to clearly evaluate with expressions of regret, but those incidents should not have happened," emphasizing, "Where things went wrong must be clearly identified through investigations or inquiries by the Ministry of Labor and police administration, and measures to prevent recurrence must be established."

However, he added, "It is difficult to simply say that such incidents represent 'government violence against the labor community' in the overall labor-management relations or government labor policies."