Kakao's labor union announced its official stance on August 21 following the company's announcement of a corporate split, signaling the start of joint negotiations within the Kakao community. The union believes that the decision-making structure will become more complex after the split, making it difficult to address substantial issues through individual corporate negotiations.
The Kakao chapter of the Korean Chemical and Textile Workers' Union (Kakao Union) has demanded that Kakao disclose the specific impacts of the split on employment and labor conditions for Kakao and its major affiliates before the extraordinary shareholders' meeting scheduled for December.
The Kakao Union will hold a joint negotiation ceremony at Pangyo Station Plaza on August 26, where workers from Kakao and its major affiliates will present joint demands and call for community-level negotiations. Prior to this, a resolution meeting for Kakao Bank will take place, as the bank plans to initiate a five-day strike starting August 31.
The union also issued a statement regarding the corporate split into 'Kakao AI' and 'Kakao X.'
The Kakao Union argues that before the split, the company must first address its management failures and provide measures to protect employment and labor conditions. They also pointed out that there was insufficient communication with members prior to the announcement, highlighting the need for joint negotiations.
The union stated, "The undervaluation of corporate value is not solely due to a complex business structure. Dividing the corporation without addressing management failures and the lack of accountability in decision-making cannot lead to fundamental reform. It is difficult to be optimistic that Kakao will change simply with a new governance structure. The company must first answer what has changed regarding repeated management failures, excessive working hours, workplace harassment, and controversies over corruption and favoritism in recent years."
The union emphasized that most members have not been provided with sufficient information, pointing to a lack of communication with Kakao employees.
Seung-wook Seo, head of the Kakao chapter, stated, "While the decision to split Kakao may be the company's choice, it cannot unilaterally determine the changes in employment and labor conditions that arise from that decision. The company cannot divide its management failures and responsibilities toward its members."
The Kakao chapter aims to create a structure for joint negotiations that allows discussions with actual decision-makers on issues that cannot be resolved by individual corporations, including responsible management, job security, fair performance distribution, prior consultation during organizational restructuring, sales, and spin-offs, and community-level employment and welfare safety nets.
Park Sung-ui, head of the Kakao chapter's struggle headquarters, remarked, "If the company decides at the community level, workers will also negotiate and respond at the community level."
Before the assembly, the Kakao chapter plans to hold an open talk for Kakao corporate union members during lunchtime on August 24 to directly address questions and concerns regarding the new corporation and the corporate split. Following this, a survey will be conducted among all union members, and based on the results, an additional open talk involving all members of the Kakao community will be organized.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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