Two Hanwha Ocean subcontract workers end crane sit-in to join first talks with company
In short
Two subcontract workers who had been staging a crane sit-in at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje worksite since September 30 came down at 7 a.m. on October 8 to join the first collective bargaining session between Hanwha Ocean and subcontract unions, set for 4 p.m. that day; four others are continuing the sit-in. Separately, the Korean Metal Workers' Union said Kim Yu-cheol (김유철), head of its branch for Hanwha Ocean's regular employees, climbed a crane at the site over stalled wage talks.
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Two subcontract workers who had been staging a high-altitude sit-in on the TC-82 crane at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje worksite came down at 7 a.m. on October 8, eight days after the protest began, to take part in the first collective bargaining session between Hanwha Ocean and its subcontract workers' unions. That is according to a joint struggle committee formed by the Korean Metal Workers' Union's Geoje-Tongyeong-Goseong shipbuilding subcontract branch and its Wellibeu (웰리브) branch. The two are Han Seung-cheol (한승철) and Kang Bong-jae (강봉재), vice-heads of the subcontract branch. Seoul Shinmun and Seoul Economic Daily reported that the other four workers are continuing the sit-in. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The session was scheduled for 4 p.m. in a safety training room on the sixth floor of the Seomun Financial Center (서문금융센터) inside Hanwha Ocean. The union formed a nine-member bargaining team led by Kim Jeong-cheol (김정철), senior deputy head of its Gyeongnam branch, with four members each from the two branches; Han and Kang are among them. The committee said the talks should be ones after which subcontract workers do not have to go up high or stage sit-ins again, and that it would bargain responsibly if Hanwha Ocean approached the talks sincerely. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Six union members began the sit-in on September 30 at facilities in the Geoje worksite, demanding bargaining with the prime contractor and performance bonuses without discrimination against subcontract workers. On October 1, an application by Hanwha Ocean to suspend a National Labor Relations Commission ruling was rejected; the ruling said workers of Wellibeu, a contractor handling in-house catering, commuter buses and facility management, must be included in bargaining. Hanwha Ocean then confirmed the two branches as unions requesting bargaining on October 2. The talks come about seven months after the Yellow Envelope Law took effect in March and the subcontract unions demanded bargaining. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Separately, the union's Gyeongnam branch said on October 8 that Kim Yu-cheol (김유철), head of the union's Hanwha Ocean branch for the company's regular employees, had climbed a crane at the Geoje worksite. The union said the two sides had held 26 sessions from June through October 7 and that the company delivered its third proposal as a final offer on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. The branch said the sit-in would continue until its demands are met. Yonhap reported that the union saw progress in the proposal but did not find it acceptable. [ 4 ]
Accounts of those talks differ. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that a 27th round began on October 7, with the company proposing a 100,000 won base pay rise, a 6.5 million won lump sum, 1 million won a year in welfare points and a task force on performance pay, against union demands for a 149,600 won rise and bonuses of 900%; Yonhap said the proposal's details were not disclosed. Geoje Mayor Byeon Gwang-yong (변광용) said on October 6 that prolonged sit-ins and strikes could weigh on worker safety and the local shipbuilding industry, and urged dialogue. [ 1 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The session is the first bargaining between Hanwha Ocean and its subcontract workers' unions since the Yellow Envelope Law took effect in March, and it came after an application by the company against a labour commission ruling was rejected on October 1. With the regular employees' union also escalating its wage dispute, Geoje Mayor Byeon Gwang-yong (변광용) said on October 6 that prolonged sit-ins and strikes could weigh on worker safety and the local shipbuilding industry.
Key facts
- Two of six subcontract workers ended their sit-in on the TC-82 crane at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje worksite at 7 a.m. on October 8, eight days after it began. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The two are Han Seung-cheol (한승철) and Kang Bong-jae (강봉재), vice-heads of the Korean Metal Workers' Union's Geoje-Tongyeong-Goseong shipbuilding subcontract branch. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The first bargaining session between Hanwha Ocean and the union's subcontract branch and Wellibeu (웰리브) branch was set for 4 p.m. on October 8. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The union formed a nine-member bargaining team led by Kim Jeong-cheol (김정철), senior deputy head of its Gyeongnam branch, with four members from each of the two branches. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The remaining four subcontract workers are continuing the sit-in. [ 2 , 3 ]
- On October 1 Hanwha Ocean's application to suspend a National Labor Relations Commission ruling that Wellibeu workers must be included in bargaining was rejected. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kim Yu-cheol, head of the union's Hanwha Ocean branch for regular employees, climbed a crane at the Geoje worksite, the union's Gyeongnam branch said on October 8. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Han Seung-cheol and Kang Bong-jae came down from the TC-82 crane at 7 a.m. on October 8 to take part in the first prime-contractor bargaining session. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Six subcontract union members began the sit-in at the Geoje worksite on September 30. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The first session with Hanwha Ocean was scheduled for 4 p.m. on October 8 with a nine-member union team led by Kim Jeong-cheol. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The talks come about seven months after the Yellow Envelope Law took effect in March and the subcontract unions demanded bargaining. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Kim Yu-cheol, head of the union branch for Hanwha Ocean's regular employees, began a crane sit-in at the Geoje worksite. [ 4 ]
Still unclear
- How many bargaining rounds the regular employees' union and Hanwha Ocean have held. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported a 27th round began on October 7, while the union told Yonhap there had been 26 sessions from June through October 7.
- What the company's third proposal to the regular employees' union contains. Kyunghyang Shinmun listed a 100,000 won base pay rise, a 6.5 million won lump sum, 1 million won a year in welfare points and a task force on performance pay, while Yonhap said the details were not disclosed.
- The outcome of the first prime-contractor bargaining session. All reports were published before the 4 p.m. session.
- Whether the sit-in took place at three locations in the worksite. Only Kyunghyang Shinmun said the six workers were at three sites.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Han Seung-cheol and Kang Bong-jae come down from the TC-82 crane after eight days. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reports that Kim Yu-cheol, head of the regular employees' union branch, has begun a crane sit-in. [ 4 ]
- First bargaining session between Hanwha Ocean and the subcontract and Wellibeu branches scheduled to begin. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]