Oceans Ministry to Step Up Talks on Port Security Subsidiary Merger... Labor-Management Meeting on Nov. 12

Five subsidiaries, including those in Busan and Incheon, to be merged into the tentatively named Korea Port Security and Facilities Corporation
Agency heads, labor union and employee representatives to attend; discuss merger timeline and proposals

Following the planned merger of the country's four port authorities, the government is set to begin full-scale discussions on merging their five subsidiaries. It plans to hold a meeting with the heads of the agencies slated for merger, as well as labor union and employee representatives, to discuss the merger schedule and proposals from each agency. However, the subsidiary merger is expected to move forward in earnest only after the direction of the parent port authorities' merger has been finalized. (Related article: Security Subsidiaries of Four Port Authorities to Come Under One Roof... Merger into a Public Institution Under Review)

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said on November 11 that it will hold labor-management talks on the plan to merge the five port authority subsidiaries on November 12 in a conference room at the ministry's annex.

The meeting is a follow-up to the government's "Plan to Reform Public Institution Functions," announced on September 3. The government decided to merge the four port authorities in Busan, Incheon, Ulsan, and Yeosu-Gwangyang into a tentatively named Korea Port Corporation, and their five subsidiaries into a tentatively named Korea Port Security and Facilities Corporation.

The subsidiaries slated for merger are Busan Port Security Corporation, Incheon Port Security Corporation, Yeosu Gwangyang Port Management, Ulsan Port Management, and Yeosu Expo Management. The core of the plan is to reorganize agencies responsible for port security and facilities management into a single organization.

On September 8, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries held a meeting with the heads of the four port authorities and began preparations for the parent-company merger. This time, it plans to expand the scope of discussions to include the subsidiaries, share the merger schedule, and gather opinions from each agency.

In particular, the meeting will be attended by the heads of all five subsidiaries, as well as labor union and employee representatives. The aim is to hear from employees, who have a direct stake in the subsidiary merger, and discuss issues that may arise during the merger process.

Previously, labor unions at the port authority subsidiaries protested, saying employees were being excluded from merger discussions. They argued that while employees of the four parent port authorities were participating in the merger task force (TF), subsidiary employees had not been given a meaningful opportunity to consult. The unions have called for the establishment of an independent integrated organization and guarantees that employees will be able to participate in merger discussions.

Accordingly, workforce management, employment issues, and differences in working conditions and treatment at each agency are expected to emerge as key issues in the merger process. However, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries says it can begin full-scale preparations for merging the subsidiaries only after the direction of the parent-company merger has been clarified.

Kim Hyejeong, director general of the Shipping and Logistics Bureau at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "Once the direction of the merger of the parent port authorities has been clarified, we plan to begin full-scale preparations for merging the subsidiaries." She added, "With this meeting as a starting point, we will continue to communicate with relevant agencies and stakeholders and develop a reasonable plan to ensure the successful merger of the subsidiaries."

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