KCTU President Woo Won-sik, who visited the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, said, “Social dialogue through the National Assembly”.

National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik meets with KCTU officials on the 29th,

Speaker Woo Won-sik speaking at the ‘Woo Won-sik National Assembly Speaker-KCTU Meeting for Social Dialogue’ held at KCTU in Yeouido, Seoul on the morning of the 29th. [Yonhap],
,
, ‘[Herald Economy=Reporter Ahn Dae-yong] On the 29th, National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik met with KCTU Chairman Kim Dong-myeong and officials and suggested participating in social dialogue through the National Assembly.’,
,
, ‘On that day, Speaker Woo visited the KCTU headquarters in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and proposed this to Kim and other KCTU officials during a meeting. This visit of the current National Assembly Speaker to the KCTU is the first of its kind. This meeting came just four days after his meeting with the heads of the Korea Employers Federation on the 25th.’,
,
, ‘In attendance at the meeting were An Ho-young, Chairman of the Environment and Labor Committee of the Democratic Party, Kim Ju-young, a Democratic Party member and the opposition’s labor committee secretary, and Park Hong-bae, a member of the same party. Also present were Lee Won-jeong, Senior Policy Secretary of the Speaker’s Office, and Park Tae-seo, Senior Public Relations Secretary. The Speaker’s Office reported that on the KCTU side, Chairman Kim and executives, as well as regional representatives and standing executive committee members, were also in attendance.’,
,
, ‘According to the Speaker’s Office, during the meeting, Speaker Woo stated, “Under the presidential system, social dialogue through presidential agencies had difficulty maintaining stability due to changes in tone and content following changes in administration,” and said, “Thus, as proposed in my inaugural speech as Speaker, let us make the National Assembly a social dialogue platform where diverse interests and values free from power are reflected, thereby resolving conflicts in our society.”‘,
,
, ‘He further emphasized, “Given that the current activities of the Presidential Commission on Economy, Society, and Labor are effectively limited to labor issues, dialogue through the National Assembly would be beneficial to both labor and management,” and said, “If various standing committees participate in discussions not only involving labor and management, but also labor-management-government dialogues, the National Assembly could firmly establish itself as the hub of social dialogue.”‘,
,
, ‘Speaker Woo added that if social dialogue takes place in the National Assembly, it will allow various stakeholders to address complex crises and future response strategies through committees such as the Environment and Labor Committee dealing with labor relations and working conditions, the Industry, Trade, Resources, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee dealing with future growth drivers and industrial restructuring, and the Planning and Finance Committee dealing with the direction of national economic policy and public sector labor relations.’,
,
, ‘He then stated, “I wish to gather new strength for social innovation and economic development through social dialogue, and I want to join forces with the leadership of the KCTU.”‘,
,
, ‘KCTU Chairman Kim Dong-myeong remarked during the meeting, “Insisting only on problem-solving based on law and institutions in highly developed and diverse South Korea would create new social vulnerabilities in the process,” and said, “Therefore, various levels of agreements, from small agreements to grand compromises, must be attempted outside the legal framework.”‘,
,
, ‘He further stated, “Adapting to the highly developed and diverse reality of South Korea requires the constant proposal and attempt of new contents and forms of social dialogue,” and said, “As a key player in social dialogue, I will faithfully fulfill the roles given to us.”‘,
,
, ‘Earlier, Speaker Woo had proposed participating in social dialogue through the National Assembly during a meeting with the heads of the Korea Employers Federation on the 25th. At the meeting with the Korea Employers Federation, Speaker Woo emphasized the need to think about new ways beyond the current labor-management cooperation framework and said, “Rather than conflict and division, I hope we can prepare for the complex crisis era through social dialogue. I want to join forces with the heads of the Korea Employers Federation to gather new strength for social innovation and economic development.”‘,
,
,