Yellow Envelope Act Veto Passed... KCTU Says "Our Earnestness Was Easily Trampled"

On the 1st, as the government passed a request for reconsideration of the amended Labor Union Act, known as the 'Yellow Envelope Act,' the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) immediately protested.

Democratic Labor Union members held a press conference on the morning of the 1st in front of the Government Seoul Office in Sejong-ro, Seoul, where an emergency Cabinet meeting was taking place, opposing the president's veto of the "Yellow Envelope Act" and the three broadcasting laws. [Image source=Yonhap News]

In a statement issued that day, the KCTU criticized, "The Yoon Seok-yeol administration has exercised its veto power against Articles 2 and 3 of the amended Labor Union Act, thereby revealing that it narrowly represents only the interests of large conglomerates." They added, "They have trampled on the earnest plea that 'unions must not be destroyed through damages (compensation).'"

They continued, "We will do our utmost to resist a government that destroys workers' lives through labor deterioration and infringement of labor rights," emphasizing, "We will fight so that the amended Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act, which passed through the National Assembly, are enforced on the ground with sharper resolve. Furthermore, civil society will broaden its solidarity to ensure that 'all workers have the right to unionize' is definitely achieved."