• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.53-73
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• 2004

Korea has been suffering from increases in various disputes as well as militant behavior of resolving them. Industrial relations has become a typical case. However, research on the occurrence and resolution of a dispute has been rare. Especially, it has been difficult to find a study on barriers to dispute resolution. This paper investigates psychological barriers, information barriers and institutional barriers to reduce the efficiency of negotiation. It applies them to the typical cases of labor disputes and proposes implications to improve the way to resolve labor disputes.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.127-153
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• 2009

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.27-53
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• 2004

This paper analyzes the two cases of labor disputes (Hyundai Motor in 1998 and Power Generation Companies in 2002) in the period of restructuring, by applying the behavioral theory of labor negotiations as a comparative framework. The paper compares th backgrounds of the labor disputes, core issues, bargaining processes, and evolutionary patterns and consequences of the labor disputes at the two cases. The common features, found in the two dispute cases, are strong mistrust and exclusive bargaining attitude between labor unions and management, little feasibility of contract zone in bargaining proposals by the two parties, heteronomous dispute resolution by the intervention of the government, and the lack of learning effect gained from the experience of labor disputes. This comparative case study identifies that the confrontational labor-management relations at the firm level is re-produced by a regressive process of the following circulation: labor-management distrust $\rightarrow$ interest conflict in bargaining demand $\rightarrow$ exclusive bargaining attitude $\rightarrow$ the experience of antagonistic dispute $\rightarrow$ deepened distrust. In conclusion, four parties-labor unions, management, the government, and public press - are required to make much effort to replace the vicious circle of labor-management confrontation by a virtueous cycle of labor-management cooperation.

• Korean Journal of Labor Studies
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.231-276
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• 2017

Chinese society faces increasing outbreaks of labor disputes, may of which are usually characterized as 'the highest level since the establishment of PRC'. Guangdong Province is the hottest place for increasing labor disputes as well as for flexible responses by the local government and labor agencies. Interest-pursuit bargaining model becomes one of the outstanding characteristics for recent labor disputes in Guangdong Province. Chinese central government promulgated well-managed policy package for labor dispute settlement in 2015. Guangdong Province government went one step further by introducing to institutionalize labor dispute settlement. To channel labor dispute conflicts into manageable direction, reliability and capacity of bottom level trade unions become much more essential for the authorities than before. Guangdong Confederation of Trade Unions leads some important experiments of trade union reforms. Employment of 'social cadres' of trade unions by local trade union organizations is the most outstanding experiment to satisfy increasing needs from bottom level ordinary workers who don't have efficient union organizations. It needs to be seen whether changing labor policies go beyond the limits of 'security priority principle'.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.123-144
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• 2009

Recently, a long strike by hospital labor union emerged as a serious social issue. During the Worldcup Games in June, 2002, labor strikes broke up at 'C', 'K' and other hospitals, and in 2007, 'Y' hospital suffered much from a strike. Such series of extreme labor disputes have awakened people of importance of a more stable labor-management relationship for the medical institutions responsible for people's health than any other business organization. The purpose of this study was to examine the labor-management disputes at 'Y' hospital in 2007 and 'C' and 'K' hospitals in 2002. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; First, requests of the labor union such as pay raise, reemployment of the irregular workers as regular employees and participation of the labor union in personnel affairs are the long-held or core issues suffered by the medical institutions. Such issues are not independent from each other but complicated with each other surrounding the pay raise. Accordingly, it is not easy to determine the genuine bone of issue for labor-management disputes. Second, the model type of disputes between labor and management at medical institutions may be strike. However, it is conceived that the type of disputes would be subject to change as the essential medical service area system began to be operated since 2008. Third, the common characteristic of the labor strike among the 3 sample hospitals was occupation of the hospital lobby for a sit-in strike to maximize the negative effects of strike. Article 42 (Prohibition of Violence) of Labor Union and Labor Relation Coordination Act prohibits occupation of production or other important business facilities. In addition, since Ministry of Labor interprets that the hospital lobby belongs to the important business facilities enumerated by Article 42 of the above act, occupation of the hospital lobby for a sit-in strike may be too controversial to be admitted as a fair act of labor dispute when its legitimacy should be judged. Fourth, the counter-measures taken by the hospitals against the strike were observance of the principle 'no labor no pay,' closure, legal action, accusation, claim for recovery of damage, provisional seizure, disciplinary punishment, etc., but the principle of 'no labor, no pay' was not applied in a fair manner by 'C' and 'K' hospitals. However, 'Y' hospital applied this principle thoroughly to the strike; the hospital conduced to correction of the wrong labor-management relationship by refusing inclusion in the labor collective agreement of a provision about payment of wage during the period of strike or labor union's request to that effect during a strike. In addition, 'Y' hospital took an effective measure to end the strike earlier by notifying the labor union of cancellation of the collective agreement and banning the unionists from entering the hospital.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.197-225
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• 2001

Bargaining theory with asymmetric information is widely accepted to explain labor disputes. Even though it secures theoretical consistency, it needs to be supplemented to explain disputes and negotiation more accurately. This paper shows that it may be assisted by bargaining theories based on the economics of psychology as well as theories on bargaining practices which are popular in other academic fields. The former suggests the occurrence of asymmetric information is related with the perception of the players of bargaining. The latter does they do not exchange offers as the typical theory of bargaining with asymmetric information assumes. When the latter is applied to explain the labor disputes of the public sector, it explains clearly their features and the differences from those of the private sector.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.153-185
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• 2006

This article deals with the Improvement of Compulsory Arbitration System on Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act in Korea. If a labor dispute occcur, the settlement of labor dispute must be reached for the parties' own accord. The autonomy of the parties concerned is the fundamental principle in the settlement of labor dispute. If the Rights Which are guaranteed by art. 33 Constitutional Law belong to civil liberties, we should consider Trade Union Act as the restriction of basic rights. Arbitration is a procedure which permits the most positive intervention by the arbitrator. It is carried out by an arbitration committe which is composed of three arbitrators appointed by the chairman of the Labor Relations Commission. Compulsory arbitration system of the labor for parties should be improved. In case of necessary public enterprises, more strict requirements on assembly for labor disputes should be prepared and the government should support institutions to prevent labor-management disputes by educating experts on labor-management relations and improving the quality of arbitration.

• Journal of Labour Economics
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.53-73
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• 2003

This paper investigates the success factors of labor mediation using the Survey on the Problems and Improvements of Mediation Service by the Labor Relation Commission which was conducted by the Ministry of Labor in 2000. When the parties of labor and management which took mediation service belong to the manufacturing industry and the Minju-nochong, they are found to have less chance to change their negotiation attitude favorably toward agreement in mediation process and to adopt an agreement proposal made by the mediator. Those who took mediation service more frequently in the past tend to have lower chance to make use of mediation service successfully. Those who saw the mediators of their dispute to be qualified with fairness and expertise tend to have higher chance. As the time of mediation meeting lengthens, it is more likely for them to reach an agreement with assistance by the mediators.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.97-117
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• 2015

As women's social advance had accomplished improvements to standard of living and equal employment, new forms of dispute such as gender inequality, sex crimes, and divorce rate increases have begun to generate. Disputes between men and women are desirable to settle by ADR rather than by traditional litigation owing to difficulties of legal resolution, cost and time, need for amicable dispute, etc. This study aims to reveal whether there is a relationship between ADR and gender. Through review of previous articles, this study finds that gender difference makes a visible difference depending on case type, context, and sex role of participants. For example, women were selected as mediators and arbitrators in non-monetary and small-claims disputes, family, labor, and consumer disputes and men were selected in large-scale disputes and construction, corporate and commercial, and intellectual property disputes owing to differences of experience and professionalism. Women were relatively frequently selected as mediators owing to active communication skills and men were selected as arbitrators because of decision-making skills.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.47-69
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• 2010

From the review of Korean arbitration systems with the comparison of those of other countries, we can summarize some issues to be tackled as follows: First, Korean arbitration system started with the purpose of export promotion. This may be the main reason that various domestic disputes have not been resolved by arbitration. Second, the Korean Arbitration Law applies to private disputes. The Law's arbitration scope is wider than that of China and France, but narrower than that of the U.S.A. that encompasses a variety of disputes in the filed of consumer, labor, medical services, patents, etc. Third, active judges or public officials in Korea can not be arbitrator and there is no arbitration court. However, if chief judge allows the necessity, court's judges in the UK can be arbitrator with the mutual agreement of the parties and also arbitration system is operated in the court. Fourth, the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board(KCAB), the only representative institution for arbitration in Korea, is under the Ministry of Knowledge Economy(MKE). This makes it difficult for the KCAB to handle other disputes related to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Employment and Labor, etc. Fifth, as mentioned, the KCAB is the unique institution for arbitration by the Law in Korea, while other countries allow have a diversity of arbitration agencies such as maritime arbitration organization, consumer arbitration institution, arbitration court, etc. Therefore, we suggest some ideas to expand the arbitration's area of coverage in Korea as follows: First, there should be more active policies that promote various domestic disputes to be settled by the arbitration system. Second, it is quite needed to expand the scope of arbitration to cover many disputes in the fields of consumer, labor, medical service, advertising, fair trade, etc. Third, there should be discussions to allow court judges as arbitrator and to introduce the arbitration court. Fourth, the KCAB should strengthen its status and roles as general arbitration organization to overcome the limited scope of commercial disputes. For this, there should be the strong support and coordination among the MKE and other government agencies. Fifth, to reduce the burden of the court's complicated and expensive procedures, more efficient disputes resolution systems should be established on the basis of the parties' free will. Each central government agency should streamline the legal barriers to allow industrial organizations under its control to establish their own or joint arbitration system with the KCAB.