{
  "id": 5268483,
  "title": "Labor ministry's new guidelines exclude profit-linked bonus demands from mandatory bargaining",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/labor-ministrys-new-guidelines-exclude-profit-linked-bonus-demands",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-03T07:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/20260903/labor-ministrys-new-guidelines-exclude-profit-linked-bonus-demands-from-mandatory-bargaining"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent development, the labor ministry has introduced new guidelines for labor negotiations, clarifying that profit-linked bonus demands cannot be a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. These guidelines aim to provide clarity on the revised trade union law that came into effect in March, while also expanding the bargaining rights of subcontracted workers and increasing the accountability of prime contractors.\n\nThe new guidelines address several key labor issues that have recently affected the country. One notable example is the performance bonus demands from Samsung Electronics' labor union, as well as plans to build a new semiconductor complex in the country's southwest. According to the guidelines, performance bonus demands fixed to a certain percentage of a company's profit can be a voluntary subject of bargaining, but they do not fall under mandatory subjects of negotiation.\n\nThe trade union law allows for collective bargaining on certain labor issues, but the new guidelines clarify the extent of legally permissible negotiations between labor unions and employers. This clarification comes as a response to recent ambiguity surrounding the negotiation process between the two parties.",
  "summary": "The labor ministry on Thursday issued new guidelines for labor negotiations, outlining demands for bonuses tied to a fixed percentage of a company's profit cannot be a mandatory subject of collective bargaining. The ministry's new guidelines are designed to clarify the revised trade union law that went into effect in March and expands subcontracted workers' bargaining rights, while increasing the…",
  "key_points": [
    "Labor ministry issues new guidelines for labor negotiations",
    "Profit-linked bonus demands excluded from mandatory bargaining",
    "Expanded bargaining rights for subcontracted workers"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The labor ministry's new guidelines limit labor unions' bargaining power by excluding profit-linked bonus demands from mandatory negotiations, potentially benefiting employers while clarifying permissible negotiations under the revised trade union law.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Labor ministry's new guidelines exclude profit-linked bonus demands from mandatory bargaining",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/labor-ministrys-new-guidelines-exclude-profit-linked-bonus-demands-5268611",
        "published": "2026-09-03T06:43:34.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Labor ministry's new guidelines exclude profit-linked bonus demands from mandatory bargaining",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/labor-ministrys-new-guidelines-exclude-profit-linked-bonus-demands-5273821",
        "published": "2026-09-03T07:27:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}