Andong City Government Employees' Union Joins Federation of Government Employees' Unions

Aiming to Improve Union Members' Rights and Working Conditions

The Andong City Government Employees' Union in North Gyeongsang Province has newly joined the Federation of Government Employees' Unions, which is affiliated with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.

The Federation of Government Employees' Unions announced on September 3 that Chairman Yoo Cheolhwan of the Andong City Government Employees' Union and its executive members visited the federation on September 1, held a meeting, and submitted their application for membership. This decision reflects their commitment to strengthening organizational solidarity with the federation in order to protect the rights and interests of union members and to create a more reasonable working environment.

The Federation of Government Employees' Unions is an organization under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions with 100,000 union members. Its key initiatives this year include: addressing pension income gaps by extending the retirement age, guaranteeing basic political rights for government employees, legislating the Government Employees' Compensation Committee, preventing the deterioration of labor rights, and strengthening the organization. The addition of the Andong City Government Employees' Union is expected to bolster these efforts.

The Andong City Government Employees' Union declared its withdrawal from the Korean Government Employees' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in August 2023, and subsequently confirmed its separation with 84% approval at an extraordinary general meeting. Since then, under the banner of "a union centered on its members, a union for citizens, and a union with strong policy capabilities," it established a new union and has continued its activities. At an extraordinary general meeting held on August 27, 85.7% of members approved joining the Federation of Government Employees' Unions.

The union stated that, with this affiliation, it will actively pursue the promotion of union members' rights and interests, the establishment of a rational and fair compensation system, improvements in field-oriented labor-management relations, and better responses to malicious civil complaints as well as improvements in the working environment.

The Federation of Government Employees' Unions emphasized, "The membership of the Andong City Government Employees' Union will further strengthen the federation's standing and serve as an important step in amplifying the voices of local government employees on a national scale. We will continue to do our utmost, together with more local unions, to build a happy community focused on union members and the workplace."