Fate of South Korea’s Irregular Workers’ Bill Coming Due

South Korea’s two national labour centres, KCTU and FKTU, have pledged to call a general strike after the first of December. The strike would be in response to the government’s plans to push labour reform through the National Assembly, including irregular workers legislation granting more flexibility to employers to use temporary workers and contract labour.

The KCTU—Korean Confederation of Trade Unions—conducted a sit-down strike at the National Assembly on 22 November to call attention to the stalemate over the irregular workers’ bill. The two labour centres, the government and the Korean Employers Federation did return to tripartite consultations over this issue on 14 November, with talks scheduled to continue to 30 November.

The discussions center on how long a company should be allowed to use temporary workers.