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Members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union perform a three-steps

The International Labour Organization (ILO) has recommended that the South Korean government amend the Education Workers Union Act and the Government Employees Union Act, which provide the grounds for not giving legal recognition to the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) and the Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU).

On June 19, the ILO website said that the ILO adopted a report by its committee for the freedom of association during the 330th meeting of the board of directors in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 17. “The legal provisions [of the Education Workers Union Act and the Government Employees Union Act] that deprive terminated workers of their right to be union members rob workers of their right to voluntarily enroll in organizations. As such, these constitute a violation of the principle of the freedom of association. Since the judiciary and government will continue to deny the legal status of the KTU and the KGEU as long as these legal provisions remain in place, we once again strongly urge the government to abolish these provisions,” the report said.

“This recommendation covers the tasks that need to be resolved, including President Moon Jae-in’s pledge to ratify the key agreements of the ILO. Prior to revising the law, we urge the government to use its authority to reverse its refusal to recognize the KTU as a labor union and to process the KGEU’s application for establishment so that these two unions will not continue to be deprived of the rights of labor unions,” the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said in a press conference held in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on the afternoon of June 19.

By Park Tae-woo, staff reporter

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