{"id":2202711,"date":"2023-11-10T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2023-11-09T23:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2202711"},"modified":"2023-11-09T18:52:17","modified_gmt":"2023-11-09T09:52:17","slug":"opposition-passes-yellow-envelope-law-despite-pushback-from-business-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/11\/opposition-passes-yellow-envelope-law-despite-pushback-from-business-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"Opposition passes \u2018Yellow Envelope Law\u2019 despite pushback from business sector"},"content":{"rendered":"
The National Assembly adopted the “Yellow Envelope Law” on Thursday, amending the Trade Union and Labour Relations Adjustment Act<\/a>. The opposition Democratic Party (DP) unilaterally adopted the bill with no<\/a> People Power Party (PPP) members in participation. The bill was dramatically adopted after prolonged<\/a> delays at a lower committee, and after the PPP\u2019s brief plan to filibuster against it \u2014 which was abandoned last-minute due to the DP\u2019s move to impeach<\/a> the chief of the Korea Communications Commission.<\/p>\n The PPP has dubbed<\/a> it an \u201cunjust law,\u201d filing a constitutional request for its referral suspension. DP lawmakers<\/a> pushed back, stressing the law aims to prevent \u201castronomical damages claims in labor union disputes\u201d and the Yoon Suk-yeol administration\u2019s \u201copen suppression of unions.\u201d The amendment aims<\/a> to allow subcontracted workers to participate in collective negotiations with their primary employers, widen the scope of disputes to encompass various facets of working conditions and provide broader protections for workers in different employment arrangements.<\/p>\n Why It Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n The Yoon administration has strongly opposed the bill for months, with the finance minister asserting<\/a> this week that it risks breaching the constitution and civil laws. Korean business associations have raised<\/a> concerns about potential industrial “chaos,\u201d particularly with large corporations facing continuous bargaining<\/a> demands, labor-management disputes and an increase in what they consider “illegal<\/a>” strikes, as well as the law’s expansion of who “employers” are, which could lead to a greater range of criminal liabilities for business owners.<\/p>\n On the other side, unions and advocates view the law as a “first step” toward balancing the scales of laborers’ negotiating<\/a> power, especially within what activists deem “lopsided” subcontracting structures. The law’s proponents<\/a>, such as labor groups, argue for the necessity of limiting excessive damage claims against workers during strikes, a reform they see as overdue since the financial burdens put on laborers after the 2009 Ssangyong Motor<\/a> dispute. Progressive newspapers such as Hankyoreh<\/a>,<\/em> citing expert surveys, argued that the law presents no legal issues and that concerns about excessive labor disputes are “overblown<\/a>.”<\/p>\n However, the PPP is likely going to suggest that President Yoon exercise his veto power. He has a track record of rejecting legislation he finds not aligned with the administration\u2019s policy line, as seen with his previous vetoes of the revised Grain Management Act<\/a> and the Nursing Act<\/a> earlier this year.<\/p>\n