[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] The Naver (NAVER(035420)) union’s push for consolidated collective bargaining covering 15 affiliates at Naver’s headquarters has hit a snag. This comes after a regional labor commission rejected the union’s request for corrective action, ruling that Naver’s headquarters does not qualify as the employer for those affiliates. The union expressed regret and announced it would file for a rehearing with the Central Labor Commission.

According to labor circles on the 23rd, the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Commission dismissed the “application for correction regarding the public notice of the demand for consolidated bargaining” filed by the Naver Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ Textile, Chemical, and Food Workers’ Union. The commission ruled that it is difficult to view Naver headquarters as an employer that substantially controls and determines the working conditions of its affiliates.

Oh Se-yoon, chairman of the Naver branch, said, “It’s regrettable. I haven’t seen the ruling yet,” adding, “We will request a rehearing.” He continued, “Our members naturally view Naver as the employer.”

This dispute centers on whether Naver’s headquarters qualifies as the employer that substantively determines the working conditions of employees at its subsidiaries. The union argues that while Naver emphasizes collaboration among subsidiaries under the “Team Naver” banner, it divides collective bargaining responsibilities among the individual subsidiaries.

The union maintains that since the headquarters exercises substantial influence over work systems and personnel policies, it must engage in unified collective bargaining covering all 15 affiliates. They also cite the inefficiency of conducting separate negotiations for each affiliate—which effectively involves repeating discussions on similar issues—as a reason for demanding unified bargaining.

On the other hand, Naver maintains that since the subsidiaries are independent legal entities, headquarters cannot be considered the employer that substantively and specifically controls or determines the working conditions of employees at each subsidiary. It also argues that headquarters has no legal obligation to negotiate directly with the unions of the subsidiaries.

Last August, the Naver union demanded that the headquarters engage in consolidated bargaining covering 15 affiliated companies. When management failed to publicly announce the union’s bargaining request, the union filed a corrective action petition with the Gyeonggi Regional Labor Relations Commission on the 2nd. With this dismissal, the union’s push for consolidated bargaining has been put on hold for the time being.

As the union has announced its intention to seek a rehearing, the dispute is expected to continue at the Central Labor Relations Commission. In the rehearing, the key issue is likely to be the extent to which Naver’s headquarters exercises actual influence over the working conditions at its subsidiaries.