• Title/Summary/Keyword: Labor unions

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The Determinants of Wage Premium (임금(賃金)프리미엄의 결정요인(決定要因))

  • Rhee, Chong-hoon
    • KDI Journal of Economic Policy
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    • v.14 no.4
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    • pp.79-106
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    • 1992
  • This study analyzes the determinants of wage premium, defined as the excess of actual wage rate over opportunity wage, for the average worker in a Korean bargaining unit. Average wage premium of a firm is decomposed into quasi-rent per worker and rent-sharing rule. Per capita quasi-rent, representing a firm's ability to pay, is defined as the difference between sales revenue and the opportunity cost of mobile factors, divided by the number of employees. Rent-sharing rule, a measure of workers' bargaining power, is defined as the average wage premium divided by the per capita quasi-rent. Empirical results show that the differences in wage premium among Korean bargaining units are much better explained by the differences in quasi-rent than by the differences in bargaining power. Also, comparing the results of 1986 with those of 1988 show that the wage settlement mechanism in 1988 was not quite different from that of 1986, in spite of the drastic change in industrial relation system in 1987. It may simply yield higher opportunity wages, by raising the bargaining power of overall workers. The tendency of Korean labor market in 1988 to show a dual structure of high & low wage premium sectors, is not due to the fact that the differences in bargaing powers across firms tend to expand, but to the fact that unions tend to reduce the wage differences among the workers within an enterprise by pursuing more equal distribution of total wage premium. Hence, the policies for reducing the wage differentials across firms should focus on rent-regulating industrial policies, e.g. eliminating monopoly rents by deregulation.

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A Study on Wage System and Social Security for Precarious Workers: Focusing on the Award Wage of Construction Workers in Australia (불안정 노동자를 위한 임금 체계와 사회보장 사례 연구: 호주 건설 노동자의 어워드 임금 체계를 중심으로)

  • Lee, Gyunho;Lim, Woontaek
    • Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.109-142
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    • 2018
  • This paper aims to analyze the Award wage system in Australia for construction workers. Considering low wages and precarious employment situation of construction workers in general, it is of advantage especially for them in Australia. Furthermore, it seems to be instructive for Korean construction workers, who stand in more precarious and unstable situation and furthermore are lack of fair wage and social safety. After strong and longstanding labour struggle in the late 19th century in Australia, it has been established a tripartite institution called as 'tribunal' between trade unions, employers, and the government. Under the highly institutionalized form of industrial relations, it functions as an arbitration and conciliation system between labour and management. The Award wage system stands in the middle point. This Award wage system including various welfare provisions is settled by the tribunal, today renamed as Fair Work Commission. In this wage system should be defined level of minimum wages according to the various skill levels, which are in turn connected with compulsory superannuation and Medicare as well as vocational education and training. Furthermore, it provides especially for the construction workers, who suffer from job instability, so-called 'portable benefits', which relate to long service leave and redundancy pay. Considering general conditions of precarious construction workers in Korea, In that respect, the Australian Award wage system would be very instructive for our social wage and safety system for construction workers.

The information of the businesses and the protection of information human rights (기업정보화와 정보인권보호)

  • 하우영
    • Proceedings of the Korea Institutes of Information Security and Cryptology Conference
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    • 2003.12a
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    • pp.543-559
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    • 2003
  • The information drive of the businesses requires new alternatives in that the promotion of business efficiency through information process technologies ends up conflicting with the protection of information human rights on laborers’side. Nevertheless, apathy on information protection has a tendency to be distorted by the efficiency of the businesses. Should the capital and mass media warn economic red lights, political circles with uneasiness would ignore the significance of information protection on the behalf of business efficiency. Therefore, the importance of information protection is considered a smaller interest than that of business efficiency with the infringements of human rights on laborers’side arising. Informatization of the businesses along with the developments of information process technologies has enabled the management to monitor and control the behaviors of laborers. This new problem needs to establish both information protection mechanism and institutional devices to regulate those labor controls. The security of business activity without human rights infringement warrants both basic rights of the public and spirit of the Constitution. The study suggests the establishment and revision of laws suitable to the period of information human rights. On top of that, the establishment of the basic law for information protection of individuals’with the common principle that integrates the related laws and rules on-off line is needed. This will warrant the active participation of labor unions and create specific alternatives for information protection.

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An Empirical Study on Solidarity of Korean Unionists and Its Determinants : Focusing on Economic Interests, Worker Identification and Empathy (정규직 노동자의 연대의식과 결정요인에 관한 실증적 연구: 경제적 이해관계, 동일시, 공감을 중심으로)

  • Nam, Kyuseung;Shin, Eunjong
    • Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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    • v.24 no.3
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    • pp.143-178
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    • 2018
  • This study is aimed at empirically examining the Korean unionists' solidarity using the survey of 476 full-time workers employed at the unionized workplace. It also questions the determinants affecting the unionist' willingness to be united with the contingent workers. The Korean unionism has faced the biggest challenge, that is, the crisis-in-worker solidarity. Although prior literature has noted the crisis in Korean unionism, it lacks a solid investigation of individual workers' perception of solidarity which may play a key role in building up worker-solidarity in the union movement. This study first examines the three sources of solidarity allowing for the historical and theoretical approach to the modern solidarity; economic interests, worker-identification and empathy, which provide an emprical framework for this study. The empirical evidences shows dynamic aspects as of how the full-timers perceive solidarity with the non-regular workers in the three terms of solidarity. First, full-time unionists share rare willingness to be united with contingent workers in terms of economic solidarity. In addition, the KCTU (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions) with social reformative orientation has little influence on increasing their member's orientation towards solidarity. Second, it is found that full-time unionists have more willingness to identify themselves with the non-regular workers as a member of the labor class. The KTCU is also positively associated with their member's will of identification with contingent workers. Third, the unionists, however, show little empathy toward non-regular workers, which is contrast to the willingness to worker identification. No causality is also found between the KTCU and their members' empathy for the others.

The Limitations of the Privatization of Social Security Programs : the American Workers' Compensation Program Case (산재보험 민영화의 한계 : 미국 산재보험 사례)

  • Cho, Young-Hoon
    • Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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    • v.53
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    • pp.31-49
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    • 2003
  • Neo-liberalism, the most influential ideology in the current world, argues for the commercialization of social security programs and for the dissolution of the interventionist welfare state. From the neo-liberal viewpoint, social services become more efficient and more advantageous for recipients, when provided by the market, not by the state. It is also argued that the welfare of all social members is best secured when the market freely operates without any interference from the state. From the neo-liberal point of view, an argument was raised to commercialize the state-administered Workers' Compensation program of Korea in the mid-1990s. This argument was faced with strong resistances from labor unions and social welfare circles, and has disappeared since the economic breakdown and the restructuring of Korean society during the late 1990s. Butr, such an argument can emerge anytime as the nee-liberal ideology become more powerful. This article aims to examine the neo-liberal argument that the privatization of social security programs, through an increases in efficiency, improves the interests of the recipients as well as the whole society. For this, this article attempts to analyze the Workers' Compensation programs of the USA, which, from state to state, are administered by the state government or by private insurance companies. This study can serve as an effective critique for the neo-liberal argument, if it finds that state-administered Workers' Compensation programs are more efficient than those managed by insurance companies. This article's another aim is to assess the controversies over the privatization of the Workers' Compensation program of Korea during the mid to late 1990s. The controversies were more about which viewpoint is right and, in most cases, lacked empirical evidence. This study shall empirically criticize the argument for the privatization of the Workers' Compensation program.

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A Study on the Regional Development Effects by the Location of a New Automobile Assembly Plant -In the Case of Hyundai Motors Co. in Yulchon Industrial Complex, Chonnam Province- (자동차공업의 입지와 지역발전에 관한 연구 -전남 율촌 산업단지를 사례로-)

  • Lee, Jeong-Rock;Lee, Sang-Seok
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.4 no.1
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    • pp.77-98
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    • 1998
  • In general, spatial imbalance in regional growth is a major cause of social and political conflicts within a state. In Korea, this inequality has functioned as a threat to the state's integration. With the economic development policies by regional industrialization over the past three decades, most of the industrial activities have been concentrated in Seoul and Pusan metropolitan areas, which are surrounded by Kyonggi, Kyongnam provinces respectively. Compared to these areas, Chonnam and Chonbuk provinces have lagged behind in economic development. Therefore, in order to increase the regional economic development of the southwestern region in Korea, the central government has been enforcing several policies aimed at regional industrialization since the 1980s. The purpose of this study focuses on the regional economic impacts of a newly established industrial estate-Yulchon industrial complex- which would act as a regional growth center in the Kwangyang bay area. The Kwangyang bay area consists of several industrial estates such as Kwangyang Iron and Steel Co. and its related industrial complex, Chuam rural industrial estate, Yeochon industrial complex, and so on. In addition, the Kwangyang container port was constructed in 1997. The Kwangyang bay area has been changing to a new industrial district in the southwestern part of Korea as a result of industrialization policies which were activated by central government. The Yulchon industrial complex, which is expected to be completed in 2001, would draw many manufacturing plants. For example, Hyundai Motors Co. has a plan to locate a new automobile assembly plant within the estate. As the plan has high probability to be realized, it will be interesting to study the effects a new automobile assembly plant and its related production linkages have on the region. This study is to estimate the expected structural characteristics of automobile production activities in Yulchon. The following details will be discussed: the regional economic impacts of a new automobile industry in Yulchon industrial complex, the production linkage formation via hierarchical subcontracting systems, the alternative strategies to promote the growth of regional economies, and the scheme to improve the auto-parts and components industry in Kwangju and Chonnam provinces by establishing auto-mobile production function. Automoblie industry generally gives great influences on not only regional economies but the related industries, for example, the firms producing automotive components. If a new plant producing automobiles and its related firms producing components are to be established in Yulchon, they will affect on the regional development directions and change the regional characteristics of industrial structure. In order to increase the spread effects of the new industry in Yulchon industrial complex, almost all of the automobile production processes must be organized concurrently within a limited range of distance. There is an imperative that the co-operation system should be structured between the assembly firm and many firms producing its components. In addition to those, it would be required such as the effective division of labors between the firms, much more capabilities in the technical innovations, and the reconstruction of interrelationship between the labor unions and the firms' managers.

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Effect of Topophysis and Uniting Method of Rootstock and Scion on Rooting and Subsequent Growth of Stenting-propagated (Cutting-grafted) Roses (접수의 채취부위 및 접수와 대목의 고정법에 따른 장미 접삽묘의 생육 특성)

  • Park, Yoo-Gyeong;Jeong, Byoung-Ryong
    • Horticultural Science & Technology
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    • v.28 no.3
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    • pp.456-461
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    • 2010
  • A study was conducted to investigate the effect of topophysis, and uniting method of rootstock and scion on rooting and subsequent growth of stenting-propagated cut rose ($Rosa$ $hybrida$ Hort.) in an effort to develop an efficient stenting propagation method for domestic rose cultivars. Four cultivars used in this study were two standard type cultivars 'Sweet Yellow' and 'Hanmaum', and two spray type cultivars 'Chelsi' and 'May'. Scions were grafted on cuttings of a rootstock $Rosa$ $indica$ 'Major'. The stenting-propagated scion-rootstock unions were planted in rockwool cubes ($50{\times}50{\times}50mm$, Delta, Grodan, Denmark) and were placed in a graft-take chamber for five days before being placed on misted greenhouse beds. The rootstock was removed of all leaves and nodes. Both the base of scions and top of stocks were simultaneously cut at a $45^{\circ}$ angle for grafting. Scions were prepared as single node cuttings, each with a five-leaflet leaf. Three positions of topophysis used were 7-9th (top), 4-6th (middle), and 1st-3rd (bottom) nodes from the stem base. Four uniting materials used were tube, tube + parafilm wrap, tube + clothespin, and clothespin. Rooting and growth were affected by the topophysis and cultivar. The best topophysis for rooting was 7-9th (top) nodes in all cultivars. Topophysis affected percent rooting, and number of roots, length of the longest root, and but not weight, shoot length and graft-take. Rooting and growth were affected by the uniting method and cultivar. Tube uniting method generally showed higher percentage graft-take, percent rooting, and number of roots than other methods. However, rootstock and scion union was not complete in this treatment. On the whole, the greatest rooting and subsequent growth of stenting-propagated plants were found in the tube + clothespin method. Except 'Sweet Yellow', rooting and growth were not adequate in the clothespin method. The results suggested that a tube + clothespin method was the most effective, and this method may be used as a substitute to save labor compared to a tube + parafilm wrap method which is currently being used in commercial nurseries.

Distributors' Preference for the Flextime System (유통업체 종사자의 유동근무제에 대한 선호성향에 대한 연구)

  • Lee, Won-Haeng
    • Journal of Distribution Science
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    • v.10 no.4
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    • pp.13-20
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    • 2012
  • The "flextime" system, which was initially designed to maintain a balance between work and personal life, has recently received much attention as an alternative form of work, enabling employees to fully exert their creativity. Most studies show that the effects of flextime on performance, productivity, attitude toward the organization, absenteeism, and turnover differ between managerial and non-managerial workers. This suggests that workers' personal characteristics affect their preference for flextime by directly or indirectly influencing its result variables. As most Korean companies have not adopted the flextime system, little research has been conducted on it in Korea. Recently, Korean companies have been discussing flextime as one of several measures for enhancing international competitiveness. Therefore, this study aims to offer a theoretical framework for the introduction of the system by analyzing the effects of the precedent factors on the preference for flextime. Though not statistically significant, a higher preference for flextime is noted among workers over the age of 36. Older workers usually are more conservative and less adaptable to change but here the older Korean workers may be anxious and resistant. Additional research on workers in different types of businesses using improved research methods will lead to more meaningful results. Married workers display a lower preference to flextime than single workers. In Korea, the current atmosphere focused on a happy home encourages married workers to prefer regular work hours, enabling them to go to and from work on a regular schedule. This means that normal working hours, from morning to evening, are preferred as it is the most suitable system for families. However, this is not so in the case of single workers. Unmarried singles tend to prefer flextime for investing in self-development toward future prosperity, over the benefits of regular working-hours. Flextime is designed to meet their needs to some extent as it is helpful in maintaining a balance between work life and self-development. If flextime is selected, workers can spend mornings on self-development and work in the afternoons. Therefore, when flextime is introduced in Korea, it would be desirable to start with unmarried workers, to increase corporate creativity and productivity and develop individual potential. In particular, when the five-day workweek, the main concern for companies and labor unions, is adopted, synergy with flextime could be expected and a gradual implementation of flextime will be effective. Gender difference shows similar results to marital status with male workers displaying a higher preference for flextime. It is inferred that male workers' attitudes toward flextime are more favorable than female workers' because flextime enables self-development and work life to coexist. A relatively weak, though statistically significant, correlation exists between control position and flextime preference with inner-control-oriented workers displaying favorable attitudes toward flextime. Generally, inner-control-oriented workers tend to attribute the consequences caused by any person or partner relationship to themselves. Thus, when a new system is introduced they are likely to have less reluctance and fear than outer-control-oriented workers, because they think it is important to deal with the new system. A weak but slight correlation exists between the desire for achievement and flextime preference. People who have a higher desire for achievement are willing to consider the new system, especially if significant success is reasonably expected. This result is derived from a reasonable judgment that flextime offers an individual the time for self-development while the organization benefits from the resulting creativity and performance enhancements. Although not the primary analysis, a high correlation is found between control position and the desire for achievement, which is consistent with the results of previous research. The regression analysis not only supports the preceding ANOVA and correlation analysis but also shows the existence of a causal relationship. Married workers have a weak preference for flextime, which is consistent with the results of the preceding ANOVA. Relative to men, women have a weak preference for flextime. No statistically significant correlation was noticed for age. Inner-control-oriented workers prefer flextime more than outer-control-oriented workers as the former view the consequences of change to be their own responsibility. However, the preference for flextime seems to be weak. As expected, people with a higher desire for achievement have a stronger preference for flextime, presumably because the greater the desire for achievement, the stronger the spirit of challenging an uncertain future. No significant correlation exists between job satisfaction and flextime preference.

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