With the ‘Yellow Envelope Law’ set to take effect next March, a shift in the ‘labor’ sector is underway… Legal/institutional improvements and a shift in perception must occur together.
With the so-called ‘Yellow Envelope Law’ (amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) set to take effect next March, along with the enactment and revision of labor-related laws and shifts in government policy direction, a current of change is detectable in the ‘labor’ issues long considered a chronic problem in Korean society.
However, critics point out that legal and institutional changes alone are insufficient in a reality where corporate management culture remains deeply rooted in viewing labor and workers solely through the lens of ‘cost reduction’ and ‘efficiency’. The root of the problem lies in perception.
This distorted perception is not solely a societal issue. The Church, too, sometimes misunderstands solidarity with labor as a political matter or casts a negative view on solidarity groups like labor unions. While the Church has long spoken out to guarantee workers' legitimate rights based on the dignity of labor and to change social perceptions, the reality remains that it often speaks of the value of labor while keeping its distance from the workers themselves, the very subjects of that labor.
Secretary General of the Labor Ministry Subcommittee of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, stated: “Just as Jesus worked as a carpenter, most of us are workers. We cooperate in God's work of creation and salvation through labor, yet often fail to recognize its true value. Nothing takes precedence over safeguarding the happiness, well-being, and lives of workers and their families. Therefore, it is only natural for the Church to stand with workers.”
The cry of workers simply asking: “Let us work,” remains an ongoing reality. Workers from mqny of our places of work have lost their jobs and stand on the streets today, hoping for a chance to talk.
Tragedies like the Arisell fire disaster and the death of a Gyeongbu Line train worker would never have occurred if there had been even a shred of recognition for the ‘dignity’ of labor. Yet similar accidents continue to repeat.
Experts trace the roots of these structural problems to the deepening dual structure of the labor market since the 1990s. The reality divided between large corporations and small-to-medium enterprises, regular and non-regular workers, has even class-based the value of labor itself.
Nevertheless, signs of change are slowly emerging. After much struggle, the Yellow Envelope Law passed the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced policy changes to ensure the revised law's implementation. Yet society still calculates labor solely as a cost and treats workers merely as variables of efficiency.
Church experts say improving church members' awareness of labor is as important as labor pastoral activities. A member of the Seoul Archdiocese Labor Pastoral Committee, emphasized: “When the Church voices concerns on labor issues and other social matters, many believers perceive it as a political act. However, the path of ‘a Church that walks with the poor and vulnerable,’ as Pope Francis has stated, is not about following secular logic but about turning our hearts toward the weak.”
The son of the who died in an accident at an apartment construction site, stated: “I hope people don't view the pain of laid-off workers or the bereaved families of workers killed in industrial accidents as someone else's suffering. Just as the late Bishop Yoo (Timoteo) said: ‘What else can humans do in the face of suffering but grieve and weep together?’ The Church's small acts of comfort become a great source of strength.”
Today, the workplace remains harsh and unforgiving. Yet within it dwell someone's life, someone's family, someone's faith. To reaffirm the dignity of the ‘working human being’ is not merely to discuss workplace issues, but to reexamine human dignity and communal justice.
