"Review delaying enforcement of the Yellow Envelope Act" vs. "We understand companies’ difficulties, but postponement will cause greater confusion"

[Financial News] The People Power Party on Tuesday urged the government to "consider postponing the enforcement date of the Yellow Envelope Act (the amended Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act), scheduled to take effect on March 10, in light of companies’ positions."
In response, the government made clear it intends to proceed according to the existing timetable, saying, "It is hard to believe that trust built over a year will be restored overnight," and, "If we delay, it could lead to even greater confusion."
At a government question session on education, society, and culture held at the National Assembly on the 11th, People Power Party lawmaker Yoon Jae-ok asked Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon, "Ninety-nine percent of companies want supplementary legislation. To prevent confusion, is there no intention to defer enforcement of the law even at this stage?"
Minister Kim drew a line against postponing enforcement of the amended Trade Union Act.
He said, "I am aware that companies are facing difficulties," but added, "It is difficult to believe that trust built over a year will be restored overnight simply by putting enforcement on hold. We will implement the law while building a sound model of coexistence between labor and management, so that collective bargaining itself is not seen as a burden but as a process that produces exemplary cases of labor–management cooperation."
Yoon pressed again, saying, "If complaints keep being filed, it means those complaints have grounds and reasons," and asked, "Shouldn’t we avoid a situation where you only consider the position of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and disregard the position of businesses?"
He went on to say, "Because the guidelines are unclear, workplaces are experiencing difficulties, so I hope the government will consider delaying the timing of enforcement."
Kim replied, "I understand the difficulties companies are facing, but if we delay this again, it could cause even greater confusion," adding, "We will communicate more closely with business circles and do our utmost to ensure thorough implementation of the law."
The amended Trade Union Act requires a principal contractor to negotiate with a subcontractor’s union even when there is no direct contractual relationship between them. It stipulates that a subcontractor’s union may demand bargaining over working conditions on which the principal contractor exercises substantial and specific control. Another key change is that "business management decisions" have been added to the scope of issues that can be the subject of labor disputes.
jhyuk@fnnews.com Reporter Kim Jun-hyuk Reporter