"Securing Collective Bargaining with the Principal Contractor"—Six Hanwha Ocean Subcontracted Workers Launch Another High-Altitude Protest After 1 Year and 3 Months

[Financial News] Six subcontracted workers at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje site in South Gyeongsang Province have launched another high-altitude protest, demanding collective bargaining with Hanwha Ocean, the principal contractor. It has been 1 year and 3 months since Kim Hyeong-su, former chair of the KMWU's Geoje-Tongyeong-Goseong Shipbuilding Subcontractors' Branch, ended his high-altitude protest. Progressive parties and labor and civic groups expressed solidarity and called on the principal contractor to immediately join negotiations.
According to the Shipbuilding Subcontractors' Branch on the 30th, Kang In-seok, the branch chair, and five other union members climbed onto the roof of the pre-painting plant and a crane at the system scaffolding assembly site near Hanwha Ocean's west gate in Geoje at around 12:30 p.m. that day and began their protest. The action came 218 days after the Shipbuilding Subcontractors' Branch and the Welive Branch, which handles group catering, commuter buses and related services, began a tent protest demanding negotiations with the principal contractor. The union plans to continue the high-altitude protest indefinitely until collective bargaining is secured.
The conflict began with the union's demand for negotiations after Articles 2 and 3 of the amended Trade Union Act, commonly known as the Yellow Envelope Act, took effect in March. At the time, Hanwha Ocean designated the Shipbuilding Subcontractors' Branch as a bargaining partner but excluded the Welive Branch. In May, the Gyeongnam Regional Labor Relations Commission ruled that Hanwha Ocean was the actual employer of the Welive Branch and should publicly announce its request for negotiations. The National Labor Relations Commission reached the same conclusion in July. Hanwha Ocean, however, challenged the decisions by seeking a stay of execution from the Seoul Administrative Court and is awaiting its ruling.
The Shipbuilding Subcontractors' Branch criticized the situation, saying, "The amendment to the Trade Union Act opened the way for subcontractors' unions to negotiate with the 'real boss,' but six months have passed without that right being realized. If the Ministry of Employment and Labor fails to compel the principal contractor to negotiate and instead turns a blind eye, subcontracted workers will have no choice but to fight to secure that right."
Kang In-seok also appealed to President Lee Jae Myung, saying, "Although the system is in place, please investigate directly what obstacles are preventing these rights from functioning in reality and devise concrete measures."
News of the high-altitude protest prompted progressive and labor groups in South Gyeongsang Province to voice their support. The Progressive Party, the Justice Party Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Party and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Gyeongsangnam-do Regional Council, among others, issued statements and commentaries, saying, "Both the regional and national labor commissions recognized Hanwha Ocean's employer status, yet the principal contractor is delaying negotiations under the pretext of legal procedures." They urged, "Hanwha Ocean must immediately enter into collective bargaining, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor must provide guidance and supervision to ensure compliance with the law."
Hanwha Ocean, for its part, said, "We regret this clearly illegitimate and illegal act," adding, "We will respond in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law."

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter