Severance Hospital cleaning workers union busting case, guilty verdict finalized by the Supreme Court
Supreme Court finalizes guilty verdict in crackdown on Severance Hospital union, ruling after 10 years Check now the issue of cleaning workers' bargaining rights and demands for an apology from the hospital
Severance Hospital and a cleaning contractor have had their guilty verdicts finalized by the Supreme Court on charges of systematically dismantling the cleaning workers' union. The ruling comes about 10 years after the related complaint was filed.
On the 14th, the Public Transport Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference in front of Severance Hospital in Seodaemungu, Seoul, and demanded an apology from the hospital and guarantees of bargaining rights. The union said that the court recognized indications that hospital and contractor officials pressured members to quit the union and retaliated against them through work assignments.
The number of union members, which stood at more than 140 in 2016, is now said to have dwindled to just two after prolonged pressure and resignations. The union plans to demand bargaining with the hospital's parent company based on the revised Trade Union Act, and has also filed a damages lawsuit against the officials involved and the hospital.