Gyeonggi Province Concludes 7th Collective Agreement with Three Government Office Labor Unions

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Gyeonggi Province and three civil servants unions at the provincial government office have agreed to a collective agreement that includes provisions for special leave for victims of malicious complaints.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon, Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly Speaker Kim Jin-gyeong, Gyeonggi Provincial Government Civil Servants Labor Union Chairman Kang Soon-ha, Gyeonggi Integrated Civil Servants Labor Union Chairman Baek Seung-jin, and National Civil Servants Labor Union Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office Branch Secretary Choi Hyung-gon signed the 7th collective agreement on the 3rd at Yulgok Hall of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government Office.

Governor Kim said, “Everyone is dealing with demanding work and facing various difficulties. I hope you find joy and are happy by your own standards. That is my goal for organizational management and personnel affairs.” He continued, “We need to create the awareness and conditions where employees feel cared for by the Provincial Government and Provincial Assembly. Just as a chick must cry from within while the mother hen pecks from outside for it to emerge from the egg, we must continuously create conditions from the outside, while employees should find pleasure in their public service careers. I believe this ultimately benefits the province's residents.”

Governor Kim added, “I am pleased that we had good conversations in a short period and achieved a 98.7% acceptance rate. I hope we continue meaningful dialogue going forward, and for that to happen, I wish for mutual trust between us. I promise to keep my commitments to employees, so please trust us.”

Chairman Kang Soon-ha stated, “This agreement is a joint labor-management commitment to protect the rights and interests of the three unions and improve working conditions for civil servants. In particular, the significance is great in that we have listened to voices from the field and established institutional foundations for rational working environments and stable public service delivery.” He added, “I hope today's collective agreement becomes a starting point for mutual respect and trust between labor and management.”

This collective negotiation is the seventh since the first collective agreement was concluded in 2007. Notably, it is the first agreement in which the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly labor-management participated as negotiating parties following the Assembly's personnel authority independence in 2022. Starting with the unions' demands in March 2024 and after an initial meeting in September, the province actively reviewed the demands (159 articles and 383 items in total) and reached agreement with a 98.7% acceptance rate, reducing the practical negotiation period by five months compared to the sixth agreement.

The collective agreement, totaling 158 articles and 378 items, includes provisions for special leave and treatment support for victims of malicious complaints. Accordingly, starting this year, civil servants who have suffered physical or mental damages from malicious complaints can receive up to two days of special annual leave for treatment and psychological stabilization.

The province plans to report the agreed collective agreement to the Ministry of Employment and Labor within 15 days.

Gyeonggi Province will prepare an implementation plan for the 7th collective agreement and secure effectiveness through periodic monitoring of agreement contents. The province will continue to communicate and cooperate with the labor union to create a happy workplace for employees.