Unionized cargo workers and convenience store chain CU's logistics affiliate signed a collective agreement Thursday, ending a 10-day blockade of the chain's key logistics centers.
Seoul appears hazy from Namhansanseong, a historic mountain fortress, in Gwangju, Gyeonggi, on April 21, as the level of yellow dust leads to fine dust advisories being issued across much of the country.
After a weekend of unseasonable heat topping 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), temperatures dropped sharply within a day, bringing rare cold wave advisories to parts of the country and high concentrations of yellow dust from China.
Calls from unions on companies to share profits are spreading beyond the semiconductor sector to other industries such as automakers, shipbuilders and defense firms, spurring concerns about eroding competitiveness in key growth drivers.
Korea’s appeal as a base for Asia-Pacific operations is weakening, with global companies increasingly pointing to labor policies and regulatory constraints as key risks, according to a survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (Amcham).
The bill is designed to guarantee bargaining rights for indirectly employed and subcontracted workers and prohibit companies from filing damage claims against unions. The Labor Ministry anticipates that more unions will begin demanding negotiations.
President Lee Jae Myung stressed that cooperation between large and small businesses is an "investment and survival strategy" in a meeting with businesspeople on Tuesday, the first day the pro-labor "Yellow Envelope" act came into force.
President Lee Jae Myung's chief of staff said Monday the revised labor law aimed at broadening workers' bargaining rights should serve as a starting point for promoting dialogue and co-prosperity between labor and management.
Korea's revised labor law taking effect Tuesday broadens the scope of labor disputes to include certain "management decisions affecting working conditions," and could delay industrial change by complicating all decisions small and big.
The government will focus all its capabilities on the smooth implementation of the revised labor law aimed at broadening the bargaining rights of workers, Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Wednesday.
Korea JoongAng Daily Sitemap
