South Korea's National Labor Relations Commission has recognized Hyundai Motor as an employer with bargaining obligations on industrial safety-related working conditions, in a case brought by the labor union at Hyundai Greenfood, whose members work in the automaker's in-house cafeterias. The ruling overturns an initial decision that had dismissed the union's request, in part because the specific content of the bargaining agenda could not be verified.
The commission said on the 19th that it had canceled the first-instance decision in the case concerning a request for corrective action on Hyundai Motor's public notice of bargaining demands. The decision means the Hyundai Greenfood union can bargain directly with Hyundai Motor as the prime contractor.
The Ulsan Regional Labor Relations Commission, which handled the initial review, had dismissed the request, citing reasons including difficulty in confirming the specific content of the bargaining agenda the union had presented. On review, however, the National Labor Relations Commission found that Hyundai Motor does qualify as an employer with respect to industrial safety-related working conditions, and canceled the earlier decision.