Labor issues under mega-project bill to be resolved through dialogue; both sides agree on reaching retirement age extension decision this year

AI transition and polarization cited as key challenges for labor-management-government cooperation

President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a senior presidential secretary meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]
President Lee Jae Myung speaks at a senior presidential secretary meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Thursday. [Yonhap]

President Lee Jae Myung met Thursday with the heads of the country's two major labor federations, asking for their cooperation on the government's flagship mega-project initiative and urging organized labor to return to social dialogue. Both sides agreed that the National Assembly should reach a conclusion this year on legislation to raise the mandatory retirement age, the top labor issue of the moment.

Cheong Wa Dae Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that Lee had invited Kim Dong-myung, chairman of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, and Yang Kyung-su, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), to Cheong Wa Dae for a tea meeting to exchange views on recent labor issues — including the mega-project — and on ways to advance social dialogue.

At the meeting, Lee explained the national importance of the mega-project, saying its successful implementation was "essential for future generations and for strengthening the country's competitiveness."

Kim and Yang said close communication with labor and active participation from workers must underpin the project's success. They also conveyed to the government that labor-related disputes under the pending mega-special zone bill should be resolved through social dialogue involving both labor and management.

The two sides also found common ground on the retirement age extension, the issue drawing the most attention from labor. Both agreed that, following a year of deliberations in the National Assembly's special committee on retirement age extension, "a conclusion must be reached this year through thorough deliberation in the Assembly that reflects the various interests at stake."

Lee also welcomed the fact that discussions within the KCTU over returning to social dialogue had begun in earnest.

Lee noted that a host of national challenges requiring joint labor-management-government solutions lay ahead — including the transition of labor in the age of AI and addressing K-shaped polarization — and called on both federations to "find solutions through full social dialogue with the participation of both major labor federations."


sunpine@heraldcorp.com