Service contract extended to 2 years; market wage rates to be reflected in labor cost calculations

First case since revised Trade Union Act took effect in March; negotiations began in August

Incheon Customs headquarters [The Herald Business DB]
Incheon Customs headquarters [The Herald Business DB]

Incheon Airport Customs and a service contractor's labor union have signed a collective agreement covering a shift system overhaul and an extension of the service contract — the first such prime-subcontractor agreement reached at a central government agency since the revised Trade Union Act took effect on March 10.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor's Central Regional Employment and Labor Office said Friday that Incheon Airport Customs and the Hanmaeum Incheon Airport Union, affiliated with service contractor Samgu I&C, concluded their prime-subcontractor negotiations and held a collective agreement signing ceremony.

The agreement includes a restructuring to a four-crew, two-shift rotation system, the application of market wage rates in calculating service contract prices and labor costs, and a two-year service contract term — all aimed at improving working conditions for subcontracted workers.

The service contract period was extended to two years in line with the "Guidelines for Protecting Contracted Workers in the Public Sector," announced in September. The shift system overhaul takes effect Nov. 1. The Central Regional Employment and Labor Office said it expects the agreement to contribute to better working conditions and greater job security for subcontracted workers.

Negotiations had been under way since Aug. 13. The office said it provided on-site guidance and support throughout the process to help narrow the gap between the positions of the prime contractor, subcontractor and their respective unions.

With the prime-subcontractor negotiations now concluded, the office said it plans to work with the Incheon Regional Labor Relations Commission to support the ongoing negotiations between Samgu I&C and its union.

Choi Gwan-byeong, head of the Central Regional Employment and Labor Office, said the agreement is "an exemplary case of a collective agreement being concluded between a prime contractor and subcontractor at a central government agency for the first time since the revised Trade Union Act took effect," adding that the office would "actively provide guidance and support to prime-subcontractor bargaining units in the region so that such cases can be shared and replicated."


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