Long Way to Go
On January 19, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) declared that it withdrew from the tripartite agreement. Under the circumstances, it is predicted that the handling of labor reform bills in the current session of the National Assembly would be unlikely.
Earlier, the ruling Saenuri Party insisted on a simultaneous passage of five labor bills. However, the main opposition party continued to be opposed and the ruling party urged the labor community and the opposition party to agree to a partial passage.
Negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties are likely to face an even bumpier road ahead with the FKTU refusing to join the negotiation table. The opposition party cannot help taking the labor community’s opinions into account during its talks with the ruling party, and the opposition is finding it hard to carry on with the representative of the labor community absent.
On January 12, when the FKTU announced that it would boycott the agreement, the main opposition party took sides with the federation, saying that the government and the ruling party should make a concession by giving up on the bills or coming up with substantially revised bills.