Prosecutors Seek Arrest Warrants for PB Partners Executive and Others Over 'Union Withdrawal Coercion'

The prosecution investigating allegations that SPC Group pressured Paris Baguette bakers to withdraw from the labor union has requested arrest warrants for executives of SPC Group’s subsidiary.

Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, Seocho-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

According to the prosecution on the 15th, the Public Investigation Division 3 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Im Sambin) filed arrest warrants the previous day for Jeong Mo, former executive director, and Jeong Mo, assistant managing director of PB Partners, a subsidiary of SPC Group, on charges of violating the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.

The prosecution stated that they are suspected of committing unfair labor practices by imposing personnel disadvantages such as hindering promotions on union members or coercing them to withdraw from the union. Former executive director Jeong is also accused of violating the Personal Information Protection Act by handing over the list of members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) Food Industry PB Partners Union and nationwide business divisions around March 2021.

PB Partners is a company responsible for recruiting and training Paris Baguette bakers. The prosecution is investigating allegations that PB Partners committed unfair labor practices, such as coercing members of the Korean Federation of Textile, Chemical, Food, and Service Workers' Unions (KCTU) Paris Baguette branch to withdraw from the union or imposing personnel disadvantages from February 2021 to July 2022, in violation of the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.

Earlier, the Seongnam branch of the Ministry of Employment and Labor referred Hwang Jaebok, CEO of PB Partners, along with four current and former executives, six business division heads, and seventeen middle managers to the prosecution on charges of violating the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act.