Major subcontract unions launched simultaneous demands for collective bargaining with parent companies as the revised Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, known as the "Yellow Envelope Law," took effect.
According to labor circles on the 10th, more than 20 major corporations including Hyundai Motor, Hyundai Mobis, Hyundai Glovis, LX Hausys, Hanwha Ocean, Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hankook Tire, POSCO, and Coupang Logistics Service received bargaining demands from subcontract unions on the day the revised law came into force.
The demands extended beyond large corporations. University cleaning and security workers directly requested negotiations with university administrations, while delivery drivers also called for bargaining with parent companies. Subcontract and indirectly employed workers at 15 airports nationwide demanded that Incheon International Airport Corporation and Korea Airports Corporation participate in negotiations.
Bargaining demands from subcontract unions are expected to spread further. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced that 140,000 subcontract union members would participate in negotiations, with plans to expand beyond manufacturing to all sectors of society. The scale is projected to grow even larger if the Federation of Korean Trade Unions joins the movement.
A labor industry official said, "Since the law took effect, subcontract unions have been successively expressing their intention to bargain with parent companies," adding, "Once actual negotiation cases emerge, participating unions will increase even more rapidly."
Meanwhile, President Lee Jae-myung delivered a video message at the 80th anniversary ceremony of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, stating, "I hope (the Yellow Envelope Law) will serve as a starting point for subcontract workers to negotiate directly with parent companies and resolve common problems through dialogue and compromise instead of confrontation and conflict."