hankyoreh

A union representing part-time and contract workers along with regular workers has been launched for the first time in South Korea. So-called "irregular workers" had long alleged discrimination from labor unions, which have categorically excluded them from their ranks. Contract and part-time workers in general bear a great deal of social discrimination in South Korea.

The consolidated unionized group is part of the Korea Asset Management Corp. (KAMCO). Representatives of workers at KAMCO at a recent meeting in southern Seoul agreed upon the creation of the union group, KAMCO’s spokesman said.

The group consists of 800 regular and 200 irregular workers, the spokesman said, adding that it would belong to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, one of South Korea’s two main umbrella labor organizations.

"We have been able to see the formation of one consolidated union group through years of effort to improve the working conditions for irregular workers and create a friendly environment within the company," the spokesman said. "We hope the consolidated union group will help deal with a polarization problem within labor circles, and help to get rid of discrimination against irregular workers."

Kim Woo-suk, head of KAMCO, said, "The launch of the consolidated union group will serve as a catalyst for channeling our capacities into one force."