Labor ministry pushes for law revision to enhance accounting transparency

SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- The Ministry of Employment and Labor will push for a revision of the trade union law as part of efforts to enhance unions' accounting transparency and regulate any illegal acts by unionized workers, officials said Thursday.

Officials of the ministry and the government will have a meeting with the ruling People Power Party in mid-March to discuss ways to push through with the revision, ministry officials said.

The government of President Yoon Suk Yeol has made labor reform a key policy focus, vowing to eradicate illegal practices by labor unions at construction sites, such as forcing employers to hire people they want.

The government has also been prodding labor unions to submit accounting records for scrutiny as part of the reform push.

"(Through the revision) the ministry will regulate what can be deemed as clear irregularities by labor unions within a scope that does not compromise labor activities," Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik said following a meeting with experts specializing in labor reform.

Ahead of the envisioned law revision, the ministry plans to rewrite some of the underlying regulations to oblige trade unions to pick a professional or experienced accountant for bookkeeping.

The new regulations will also specify the required times and methods of trade unions' disclosure of accounting results and financial records, the ministry also said.

pbr@yna.co.kr
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