Kakao Bank to Join Strike... Divergent Negotiation Outcomes Among Kakao Affiliates

Kakao Bank Union to Strike on the 31st

Enterprise and Pay Reach Wage Agreements

Kakao Headquarters Labor-Management Remain at an Impasse... Further Strikes Possible

Kakao Bank has announced a strike scheduled for the 31st, while Kakao Enterprise and Kakao Pay have reached agreements on wage negotiations. As a result, the labor-management conflict that shook the entire Kakao Group is now progressing toward different resolutions by each affiliate.

On the 21st, Seungwook Seo, head of the Kakao branch of the Korean Federation of Chemical, Textile, Food, and Service Workers’ Unions, stated at a picket protest held at the Kakao headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province: “We have decided to conduct a full-day strike at Kakao Bank only on the 31st. The company has not actively engaged in negotiations, and differences between labor and management have not been narrowed.” The strike will be conducted in the form of an annual leave protest, with union members wishing to participate using their annual leave.

On the 21st, Kakao union members held a protest in front of the Kakao Bank headquarters in Pangyo, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, holding placards. The Kakao Bank union will hold a full-day strike on the 31st. Yonhap News

Previously, labor and management at Kakao Bank failed to reach a consensus during wage negotiations. They also went through mediation procedures with the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission, but sharp disagreements persisted during the mediation meeting on the 20th, resulting in a decision to discontinue mediation. With this decision, the union secured the legal authority to carry out collective actions such as a strike.

In contrast, the unions of Kakao Enterprise and Kakao Pay, which also participated in collective action, reached agreements with management and are now wrapping up collective actions. Kakao Enterprise formally concluded the collective action by holding a signing ceremony to finalize the wage agreement, while Kakao Pay’s union plans to hold a signing ceremony with management on the afternoon of the 23rd. Last week, Kakao Pay’s union members finished voting on the tentative agreement.

The Kakao union, which held its first-ever strike since the company’s founding with a partial strike on June 10, also carried out an annual leave protest named “Logout Day” on the 29th, and has continued to escalate pressure on management by engaging in further collective actions such as this picket protest. Participants in the protest wore black short-sleeved shirts and black masks, holding pickets bearing slogans such as “Negotiate sincerely,” “Distribute our achievements fairly,” and “Stop monopolizing management,” or chanted these slogans. According to the union's estimate, approximately 300 people participated, including members of the Kakao Bank union.

However, additional strike schedules for the Kakao headquarters union have not yet been determined. The Kakao union is leaving open the possibility of further collective action. In the picket protest, branch head Seo said, “Currently, negotiations between labor and management have stalled, so today we sent an official document requesting a resumption of talks and asked for a response within this week. Depending on whether talks resume and on the company’s stance, we will consider further collective action next month.”

Management maintains that it is actively engaging in negotiations with the union and explained that talks have only been postponed, contrary to the union’s claim that negotiations have completely ceased. A Kakao official stated, “Any negotiations postponed due to scheduling issues will be rescheduled and held. The company has maintained continuous dialogue and negotiation with the union and will continue to strive for an early agreement.”

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