노동조합의 전투성에 관한 연구

Militancy of Korean Labor Unions and its DeterminantsByoung-Hoon LeeJeong-Hyang YoonDrawing upon the 3rd Workplace Panel Data, this study examines factors influencing militancy of labor unions, analyzed in two dimensions - union member militancy and union leadership militancy. Union member militancy, which is measured by their attitude toward participation in strike action, is significantly affected by the share of active union members(+), the capability of union leadership(+), strike experience of the previous year(+), employment size(-), lack of job promotion opportunity(+), top management’s attitude(-), non-price business strategy(+), manufacturing sectors(+). Union leadership militancy, which is measured by their strike-proneness, is also significantly influenced by the following factors: trike experience of the previous year(+), employment size(-), top management’s attitude(-), national center affiliation(KCTU+, independent-), internal union strife(+), the capability of union leadership(+), the share of overseas market(+). These findings reveal that union militancy is not a pathological problem within a labor union, but a complicated social issue derived from various factors inside and outside labor unions. Thus, it is suggested that employers need to build the principle of mutual gains bargaining and undertake labor-management partnership and systemic employee career management, in order to prevent labor unions from becoming militant.