Call center workers have demanded a meeting with Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Young-hoon, claiming that even public institutions are evading negotiations and refusing to acknowledge their responsibilities as employers, despite the implementation of the Yellow Envelope Act.
The Call Center Branch of the Service General Labor Union, under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Service Federation, began a sit-in protest in front of the convention room on the 5th floor of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office in Jung-gu, Seoul, starting around 1:00 p.m. today (July 6).
The participants in the protest are call center workers employed at institutions including the National Tax Service, the Korea Student Aid Foundation, and the Seoul Housing and Communities Corporation (SH).
They criticized the institutions, stating, "Although the National Tax Service, the Korea Student Aid Foundation, and SH have all been recognized by the Labor Relations Commission as having the status of primary employers, they are evading negotiations or delaying the process." They added, "This is a clear violation of basic labor rights and a disregard for the employer obligations stipulated by the revised Trade Union Act (Yellow Envelope Act)."
Nam Mi-kyung, head of the Modu Call Center branch, stated, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor must not remain an agency that condones the evasion of negotiations by public institution primary contractors," and requested, "Minister Kim Young-hoon must meet with call center workers before the Cabinet meeting on July 7."
The call center workers urged Minister Kim to personally meet with the Commissioner of the National Tax Service, the President of the Korea Student Aid Foundation, and the CEO of SH to provide guidance on fulfilling negotiation obligations, and to thoroughly manage and supervise public institutions regarding their obstruction of negotiations and unfair labor practices.
(Photo: Provided by KCTU, Yonhap News)