The KakaoBank union said Tuesday it decided to stage a one-day strike after mediation by the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission ended without agreement, clearing the way for industrial action.
"Our company did not engage sincerely in negotiations, and the gap between labor and management remains too wide," Seo Seung-wook, head of Kakao's branch of the Korean Chemical and Textile Workers' Federation, said during a picketing rally at Kakao's Pangyo headquarters.
The strike will apply only to KakaoBank, while the union has yet to announce whether workers at other Kakao affiliates will follow with similar full-day action.
About 300 union members, including those from KakaoBank, took part in Tuesday's lunchtime picketing protest, according to the union. Wearing black shirts and masks, they held placards reading "Negotiate sincerely," "Share our achievements fairly," and "Stop management's monopoly."
The protest followed a series of "Logout Days," when union members voluntarily took annual leave or scheduled time off and logged out of internal systems for several hours. That action caused no disruption to KakaoTalk or other major services because it largely relied on voluntary participation and the company's automated operations.
KakaoBank's labor and management had entered mediation after failing to reach a wage agreement, but negotiators were unable to narrow differences during talks held Monday. The labor commission subsequently suspended mediation, determining that the two sides remained too far apart to continue discussions.
Under South Korean labor law, the decision allows the union to proceed with strike action after completing internal voting procedures, which it has now done.
The broader Kakao union also staged a lunchtime picketing campaign Tuesday at the company's Pangyo campus, but no additional industrial action has been announced for Kakao Corp. or other affiliates, including Kakao Pay, Kakao Enterprise, DK Techin and XL Games.
Tuesday's protest, held during employees' lunch break without marches or rallies, was designed to minimize disruption to business operations. Kakao's messaging platform, KakaoTalk, which is used by the vast majority of South Koreans, was not affected.
The labor dispute centers on compensation. The union has argued that employees deserve a larger share of the company's performance, while management maintains that the union's demands would place an excessive financial burden on the business.
Shares of KakaoBank were down 0.67 percent at 22,400 won as of 1:25 p.m. Tuesday.
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