KCTU to decide Wednesday on returning to social dialogue after 27-year absence

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions will decide Wednesday whether to pursue formal talks on rejoining the government-labor dialogue framework it abandoned nearly three decades ago.

With the Economic, Social and Labor Council signaling its readiness to discuss the structural reforms the KCTU has demanded, attention is turning to whether negotiations toward a return — the first in 27 years — can gain real momentum.

The KCTU will hold its 85th extraordinary delegates' assembly at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, at 1 p.m. Wednesday to deliberate on a proposal to pursue "social bargaining." The measure calls for the union to negotiate with the government on restructuring the social dialogue body and, if an agreement is reached, to join the Economic, Social and Labor Council and begin the process of revising relevant laws and systems.

The KCTU has set three conditions for its return: consensus-based decision-making, guaranteed participation by industry-level unions, and a change to the council's name. The demands reflect the union's push to restructure the dialogue framework so that unilateral votes are blocked and sector-specific labor issues can be addressed directly.

The Economic, Social and Labor Council said it is prepared to discuss changes to how it operates. Council Chairman Kim Ji-hyung, speaking at a press briefing at the council's offices in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday, said the commission was "fully ready to begin close consultations at any time with the representatives of labor, management and government on improving the way social dialogue is conducted."

Kim said the council had also examined reform proposals from academics, working-level officials and within the commission itself, beyond the three conditions the KCTU put forward. He said the commission was "keeping everything on the table, including a name change," but noted that adopting a consensus model, guaranteeing industry-union participation and changing the name would all require amendments to existing law.

The KCTU leadership argues that labor must have a seat at the table before government policy is set, particularly as AI spreads and industries undergo structural transformation. A recent membership survey found that more than 80 percent of respondents agreed on the need for social bargaining — though that support cannot be read directly as endorsement of rejoining the council itself.

Even if the proposal passes Wednesday, a return to the council would not be immediate. Further tripartite consultations would be needed on the KCTU's reform conditions, and legislative changes to alter the council's operating rules remain an outstanding task.

The KCTU has not returned to the council since withdrawing from its predecessor, the Labor-Management-Government Council, in February 1999. Wednesday's assembly is the first critical juncture in determining whether the union will re-enter institutionalized social dialogue after 27 years.