Suwon City and Public Service Workers' Union Reach Wage and Collective Agreement

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Suwon City and the Suwon Public Service Workers' Union signed the 2019 wage and collective agreement on the 22nd.

Kim Kyung-tae, Head of the Administrative Support Division of the city, Kim Gyu-dong, Chairperson of the Suwon Public Service Workers' Union, and Nam Man-hee, Director of the Suwon Branch of the National Democratic Workers' Union, among others, attended the signing ceremony and signed the agreement.

The key items include: ▲2.0% wage increase for public service workers in 2019 ▲reimbursement of actual travel expenses for personal vehicle use by public health center workers ▲adjustment of union activity and executive union activity hours for all union members ▲expansion of spouse maternity leave to 10 days, equal to civil servants ▲shingles vaccination for union members aged 50 and above (within budget limits) ▲promotion of annual leave usage.

The Suwon Public Service Workers' Union is the representative labor union for collective bargaining, with 391 members (65.5%) out of 597 public service workers in the city. The union requested negotiations with the city in November of last year, and an agreement was reached after nine months. This is the first wage and collective agreement negotiation since the city's conversion of temporary workers to permanent positions in October of last year.

Kim Kyung-tae, Head of the Administrative Support Division representing the city, stated, "We will actively guarantee legitimate union activities within applicable laws and regulations to improve the treatment of public service workers."

Kim Gyu-dong, Chairperson of the Suwon Public Service Workers' Union, said, "We will work together with the city to improve working conditions and treatment and enhance workers' interests," attributing significance to the agreement as "labor-management harmony and coexistence."