The NAVER (035420.KS) labor union's request for joint bargaining covering the company's affiliates has been dismissed by the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission. The union plans to appeal the decision and seek a review.
The union said on the 23rd that the Gyeonggi panel dismissed its request for a correction order on the public notice of joint bargaining demands on the 22nd. The union had filed the request with the commission after NAVER declined to post notice of its joint bargaining demand. Under South Korea's labor union law, employers must publicly post bargaining requests for a set period after receiving them.
The decision reportedly reflected a finding that NAVER was not recognized as the de facto employer of workers at its affiliates. A union official said the ruling failed to accept "the common understanding shared by everyone at NAVER that NAVER makes the decisions," adding that the union regrets a decision that "does not fully reflect the governance structure of a large IT platform company."
The union said it will file for a review once it receives the written ruling setting out the specific grounds for the decision. "As soon as the ruling is delivered, we will analyze the reasoning, strengthen our arguments and file for a review with the National Labor Relations Commission," the union official said.
In August, the union submitted to NAVER a joint bargaining proposal covering 15 affiliates. It argues that because the parent company effectively determines working conditions at the affiliates, bargaining should also be consolidated with the parent. NAVER reportedly conveyed its position to the union in a written statement, saying the parent company has no authority to substantively and specifically control or determine working conditions at individual affiliates.
NAVER said it "respects the judgment of the regional labor commission."