Yujin PLS is an in-house subcontractor company to Namhae Chemical, a fertilizer-producing subsidiary of NH Agribusiness Group which was established by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.
Precarious workers of Yujin PLS organized a trade union to improve their working conditions and employment stability, citing the frequent change of subcontractor companies to Namhae Chemical. In 2015 when Yujin PLS won the in-house subcontracting to Namhae Chemical, the company did not recognize the succession of the collective agreement which had been reached by the trade union and the management of the former subcontractor company. In recent, 10 union members were suspended from working and ordered to stay home until further notice.
In the meanwhile, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation reportedly reviewing 5,245 out of 7,700 precarious workers in total working at 26 subsidiaries of the NH Agribusiness Group and NH Financial Group for the regularization of their employment status, excluding those workers working at the financially independent local agricultural and livestock cooperatives and those who are in indirect forms of employment.
reported by Je Jeong-nam
translated by Kim Sung-jin