Labor, management, gov't agree on key reforms

(ATTN: UPDATES with comments from labor groups at the last 4 paras)
SEOUL, Nov. 4 (Yonhap) -- Representatives from the government, employers and
labor have removed the two thorniest issues from the nation's labor reform
roadmap, agreeing to ban wages for full-time union representatives and introduce
a multiple union system, officials said Friday.

The Labor Ministry, the Korean Employers Federation and the Federation of Korean
Trade Unions (FKTU), the larger of the country's two umbrella labor
organizations, agreed to ban wages for full-time unionists starting July 1, 2010,
said the officials.
The officials said the wage ban on full-time labor union workers will be
introduced in a "time-off" system, in which the actual amount of wages will
differ depending on negotiations at each workplace.
They also agreed to introduce a multiple union system.
The Lee Myung-bak administration had pushed to allow more than one union in a
single workplace starting next year, but enforcement of the new labor system will
start about 30 months from now, said the officials.
If more than two unions are allowed in a single company, negotiating power will
be given to the largest union, they said.
Later Friday, the three parties officially signed and announced their agreement
in a news conference.
"The agreement was made through numerous talks and discussions regardless of
interests of labor and management. It will provide a turning point for the
country to develop a new labor-management relationship, which has been delayed
for the last 13 years," FKTU chief Chang Seok-chun said at the conference.
The last-minute agreement came after tension between labor and the government
escalated amid moves by the Lee administration and the ruling party to make the
labor law revisions effective from next year.
"Taking this opportunity, the labor movement will change and transparency of
industries will be strengthened," said Labor Minister Lim Tae-hee. "To achieve
these goals, we will put forth our best efforts to make a soft landing for these
agreements."
Opposition parties and labor groups, however, voiced opposition to the proposed
revision, claiming it could undermine the influence of labor unions by limiting
their independent right to organize and negotiate with management.
The Korea Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU), the nation's militant labor
organization, immediately issued a statement after the joint conference.
"Suspending adoption of multiple unions seriously violates the workers' rights to
have independent and collective agreement and will serve as a temporary
expedient," the KCTU said.
"It is not an agreement but a collusion, which is aimed at crushing labor unions
and infringing upon the rights of workers and people," the statement said.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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