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Naver workers poised to strike for 1st time

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Naver's headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province
Naver's headquarters in Pangyo, Gyeonggi Province

By Jun Ji-hye

Naver and its union have failed to find middle ground despite arbitration attempts by the National Labor Relations Commission, raising the possibility for the union to go on strike for the first time.

The possible walkout could cause internet chaos here, considering Naver operates the nation's largest portal with its market share standing at 71.5 percent, according to market researcher DMC media. Naver has offered a wide range of services used in people's everyday lives including the news, emails, webtoons and cloud.

Naver and the union went through mediation procedures with the National Labor Relations Commission twice on Jan. 10 and 16, but the talks broke down eventually.

Before this, negotiations between management and the union broke down after 13 rounds of talks.

The union, affiliated with the militant Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has demanded the right to recommend outside directors and auditors, and asked the company to offer prior explanation before management makes any important decisions.

The union plans to hold a briefing for its members on Jan. 21 to collect opinions and take a vote on actions including the strike at the end of the month.

The union said management holds the key to resuming negotiations.

The National Labor Relations Commission presented arbitration proposals that included 15 sabbatical leave as well as 10 maternity leave proposals for male employees.

The union accepted the proposals, but management refused to do so, citing they did not specify the range of employees who are not allowed to participate in actions of the union.

The company said it is essential to specify the range considering the characteristics of the internet service that runs 24 hours.

"It is a required condition to maintain stable service and to meet obligations to users and partners," a Naver official said. "From the point of view of the management, it is positively necessary to specify the range of employees who are not allowed to join actions of the union."

Naver employees established the union in April, claiming the horizontal organizational culture had turned vertical and bureaucratic. The union was the first in Naver's 19-year history.

About 40 percent of employees have reportedly joined the union.

In July, Naver scrapped its blanket wage system, three months after its employees created the union.

The blanket wage system refers to a wage calculation method used in Korea, under which workers are paid a fixed monthly salary regardless of how many extra hours they work. Worker organizations have been criticizing the system for the lack of fairness in treatment of employees.


Jun Ji-hye jjh@koreatimes.co.kr


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