POSCO Union Rejects Flexible Hours Agreement, Blocking Operations

The POSCO labor union has blocked management's personnel operations by rejecting a flexible working hours agreement. The union claims the company is violating labor laws and requires employees to work overtime beyond the legal limit. On August 13, the union officially notified the management of their refusal to sign a temporary written agreement regarding the flexible working hours system.

The system is designed to meet average statutory working hours by adjusting hours in different weeks within a certain period. The union asserts that the company's failure to hire more staff has led to increased reliance on overtime work. POSCO has implemented the flexible working hours system during intensive maintenance periods at their steelworks.

However, the union argues that the company only allows working hours up to the statutory limit of 64 hours in the system and uses a separate ledger to manage additional hours during weeks with less work. They also claim that the company does not properly implement measures to reduce working hours in other weeks instead of increasing them for certain periods.

This practice could violate the Labor Standards Act. The union plans to investigate unfair overtime work, changes in working hours, and false attendance processing through a survey of union members and take legal action. POSCO maintains that there are no illegal elements as they are complying with legal requirements regarding the statutory working hours limit.

They also state that essential personnel will be deployed if there is a strike to avoid disrupting operations. The labor and management at POSCO are currently at an impasse in wage and collective bargaining negotiations. With no resolution in sight, the union may secure the right to take legal action and potentially go on strike before the final mediation meeting of the National Labor Relations Commission on October 18. This would mark the first dispute in POSCO's 58-year history since its founding.