"Small Business Owners Also Deserve Negotiation Rights"... SEMA Discusses Rights to Unionize and Collective Bargaining

Sharing the Progress and Status of Legalization Efforts

The Small Enterprise and Market Service announced on the 15th that it held a policy forum titled "Policy Forum for Legalization of the Rights to Unionize and Collective Bargaining for Small Business Owners" at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

The Small Enterprise and Market Service held a policy forum titled "Legislation of the Right to Collective Bargaining and Collective Negotiation for Small Business Owners" on the 15th at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul. SEMS

This forum was organized to discuss the need to guarantee the rights to unionize and collective bargaining in order to strengthen the negotiating power of small business owners, and to share related legislative measures and the progress of legislative efforts.

More than 20 participants attended the event, including Assemblymen Min Byungdeok and Oh Sehee of the Democratic Party of Korea, officials from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Korea Fair Trade Commission, the Korea Legislation Research Institute, and representatives from small business organizations.

The forum was chaired by Lee Jeonghee, President of the Korean Society for Small Business Policy. Presenters included Ryu Pilseon, expert committee member of the Korea Federation of Micro Enterprise, Park Seungmi, head of policy for the Korea Franchisee Association, and Bae Kyungyoung, secretary general of the Korea Federation of Micro and Small Enterprises. They introduced cases of imbalance occurring during business transactions and emphasized the need to enhance the negotiating power of small business owners.

Following this, the Small Enterprise and Market Service and the Korea Legislation Research Institute presented the progress of legislative efforts for the legalization of collective bargaining rights for small business owners, the direction of related legal amendments, and key issues. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Fair Trade Commission also shared the current status of government reviews and policy directions, and exchanged opinions on ways to establish the system.

In Taeyeon, Chairman of the Small Enterprise and Market Service, stated, "Although small business owners are a core component of our economy, there are many cases where it is difficult for them to secure sufficient negotiating power in business transactions," adding, "I hope this forum will serve as an opportunity to protect the legitimate rights and interests of small business owners and to lay the institutional foundation for strengthening their negotiating power."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.