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Unionized workers and management of E-Land Group resumed negotiations on July 16 as the union walked off their jobs to protest against the management’s layoff of non-regular employees.

Kim Gyeong-uk, head of the union, and Oh Sang-heun, Chief Executive Officer of Homever, part of E-Land’s group of discount chain stores, met at a government labor office in Seoul; it was the second meeting since the union launched a sit-in protest at the Homever outlets.

Unionized workers are on strike in protest against management’s lay-off of more than 900 non-regular workers just before a new non-regular worker protection law went into effect on July 1. The law requires that companies grant regular worker status to non-regular employees after they have worked for the company for a period of more than two years. However, rather than granting regular status to its employees, E-Land Group dismissed its non-regular cashiers and hired workers from temporay agencies just before the law took effect. Businesses claim that the law will put a financial strain on their companies.

At the July 16 union meeting, neither the union nor the management were able to find common ground. While the union asked the company to withdraw the massive layoffs and to stop outsourcing jobs, the management maintained its position that outsourcing is inevitable.

Ahead of the meeting, Labor Minister Lee Sang-soo said in an interview with a local broadcaster, “E-Land has reported that they have a new proposal for preventing any more jobs from being outsourced. As for the jobs that have already been outsourced, once the current contracts with temporary agencies have been completed, E-land will review the situation and make a decision about how to proceed.” Lee added, “In light of this, unless the union withdraws its protests, for now, the government will have to take stern measures against it.”

In response, the union said the management’s idea, as Lee conveyed on a radio, takes the massive lay-offs as a fait accompli.” The union accused the government of siding with the management by mobilizing riot police to stop the protests. E-Land also blamed the labor minister for public disclosure of the company’s offer of concessions in advance of negotiations.

Also on July 16, 57 civic groups, including the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, launched a campaign to boycott the purchase of goods at E-Land outlets.

At the same time, another protest is in progress at the umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Union’s headquarters as 200 merchants doing business at Homever outlets called for the union to stop the strikes.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]