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Source = Costco |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] The first wage negotiations between Costco Korea and its labor union have ended in failure, and the union has warned that a strike could be imminent.
According to industry sources on Monday, the Costco branch of the Mart Industry Workers' Union recently announced, "The 7th round of wage negotiations held on March 7th ended due to the company's refusal to retroactively apply wage increases."
The union explained, "The company's demand to abandon the union's bargaining rights was unacceptable, so the union negotiating team had no choice but to make a decision."
As a result, the Costco union has indicated that it could go on strike.
The union plans to hold a vote on whether to proceed with strike action from March 14 to 17 via mobile voting.
If the National Labor Relations Commission issues a "mediation termination" decision and more than half of the union members vote in favor of the strike, the union will be authorized to initiate a strike.
The Costco union had completed its collective bargaining agreement in November of last year and began wage negotiations in December.
The Costco union, which was established in August 2020, started negotiations with the company to reach a collective agreement. However, after 12 rounds of negotiations over more than a year, no resolution was reached.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, talks were suspended for two years, but negotiations resumed in September 2023 after the death of a worker in his 20s at the Costco Hanam store in June 2023.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
