FKTU: "No New Discussions Until the New Government Takes Office"
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) decided on the 10th to rejoin discussions at the Presidential Commission on Economic, Social and Labor Affairs, a tripartite social dialogue body. Although expectations arose that discussions on continued employment, including retirement age extension, would intensify following their return after four months, key discussions are expected to take place only after the new government takes office.
On the 10th, the FKTU held an executive committee meeting and announced, "We have decided to attend future meetings of the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC) and to conclude previously discussed matters." The FKTU had participated in ESLC dialogues as a labor representative but suspended discussions following the emergency martial law situation in December last year. After the Constitutional Court's impeachment ruling, they announced their return after four months.
The FKTU plans to resume discussions on labor issues that had been postponed by attending agenda-specific committees such as the Continued Employment Committee and the Work-Life Balance Committee. However, they stated, "New discussions will be postponed until the new government takes office." This indicates that meaningful progress in social dialogue is unlikely before the June presidential election.
In particular, since the Continued Employment Committee, which discusses retirement age extension, maintenance, and reemployment after retirement, is scheduled to operate only until June, related discussions are likely to be delayed until after the new government assumes office. Even if the ESLC soon releases a final proposal on continued employment, it may be replaced by a public interest committee proposal rather than a tripartite agreement.
The ESLC stated that related discussions are still ongoing. On the same day, the ESLC said, "On the 8th, tripartite members including the FKTU discussed the future schedule of agenda-specific committees such as the Continued Employment Committee and the Work-Life Balance Committee, as well as the formation of new meetings and a task force (TF) dedicated to youth, platform workers, and job response, during the 41st Agenda Development and Coordination Committee meeting." They added, "On the 17th, the 42nd committee meeting will be held to finalize the matters discussed at the 41st meeting and to resume social dialogue."
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