Naver union chief named bargaining rep for Kakao labor talks in cross-company negotiation practice

The head of Naver's union chapter has been designated as the lead bargaining representative for Kakao's labor-management negotiations, industry sources said.

IT and gaming sector chapters under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions' National Chemical Textile Food Industry Workers' Union operate a system in which a chapter head from one company is designated as the lead bargaining representative in another company's negotiations, industry sources said Wednesday. Under this arrangement, Kakao's union chapter conducts talks directly with Kakao management, but the final bargaining representative is the head of Naver's chapter. Any agreement the two sides reach must then go through an approval process by the rival company's union before it becomes final.

The reverse applies at Naver: the head of Kakao's chapter serves as the lead bargaining representative in Naver's labor-management negotiations, sources said. The practice extends beyond Naver and Kakao — other IT and gaming sector chapters under the same union federation have adopted similar arrangements.

The confederation is understood to have introduced the system to strengthen solidarity among IT and gaming sector unions, which have relatively short histories, and to promote industry-wide collective bargaining. However, some critics argue the arrangement — in which a union official from a rival company holds the lead bargaining role in another firm's negotiations — departs significantly from standard labor-management practice. Some analysts say companies may also be concerned that details discussed during negotiations, including wages, performance bonuses and welfare benefits, could be shared with a union at a competing workplace.