South Korea's National Assembly passes pro-labour 'yellow envelope bill'

Seoul, Aug 24 (IANS) The South Korea's National Assembly passed a controversial labour bill broadening workers' rights Sunday, drawing mixed reactions from labour and business groups.

The ruling Democratic Party led the vote, pushing the "yellow envelope bill" through despite a filibuster by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP). The filibuster ended earlier in the day, and the PPP boycotted the vote, which was subsequently approved in a 183-3 vote at a plenary session, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The bill, which amends the Labour Union Act, is primarily designed to guarantee the bargaining rights of indirectly employed subcontracted workers.

The bill also prohibits companies from filing lawsuits for damages or provisional seizures against unionized workers, which many argue businesses have used to suppress strikes.

Labour groups welcomed the bill's passage, with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) calling it "the historic fruit" of two decades of activist sacrifices.

The KCTU, one of the country's two largest umbrella labor groups, said, "(The) simple and undeniable truth" that "every worker has the right to unite and bargain has finally become law."

The group called for the government to come up with follow-up measures consistent with the bill's spirit.

However, the country's six major business lobby groups expressed deep regret over the bill's passage, warning it would severely harm Korean businesses and deter investors.

In particular, they voiced concern that ambiguities in the definitions of "employer" and "labor disputes" would "open the door for legal conflicts between labor and management" in the future.

They called on the National Assembly to clarify the legislation and urged the government to work closely with the business community during the six-month grace period to "minimize the impact of the bill's fallout."

On Friday, South Korean National Assembly passed another controversial broadcasting bill that would revamp governance of public broadcasters, with the ruling Democratic Party (DP) railroading the bill despite opposition by the main opposition People Power Party (PPP).

The amendment to the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act passed in a 179-1 vote at a plenary session. PPP lawmakers who had been staging a filibuster to block the bill boycotted the vote.

Under the bill, the board of directors at EBS will be expanded from nine members to 13.

The legislation is the last of three contentious broadcasting bills pushed by the DP that would eventually alter the governance structure of the three public broadcasters -- KBS, MBC and EBS -- by significantly increasing the number of their board directors and granting media and broadcasting associations, as well as related professional organizations, the right to recommend board members.

--IANS

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