“우리도 노조 만들 수 있는 거였어?”: IT·게임산업 노조 조직화 확산 연구

This study focuses on the cases of labor union organizing in South Korea's IT and game industries from 2018 to 2024, analyzing how unionization was able to spread beyond the boundaries of individual companies in an industry previously considered a 'barren land' for unions. The study confirmed that the diffusion of union organizing in the IT and game industries was concentrated in three main periods: the first in 2018, the second from 2020 to 2021, and the third from 2023 to 2024. Using diffusion research from social movement theory as a theoretical basis, this study examined the factors influencing the unionization diffusion process by dividing them into cognitive and relational dimensions. First, regarding the cognitive dimension, the formation and activities of pioneer unions — which possessed homogeneity (such as being in the same industry and regional proximity) and symbolism — served as a trigger for subsequent actors to recognize union establishment as a viable option. Furthermore, the achievements of the first-wave pioneer unions contributed to diffusion, as subsequent actors in the second and third waves perceived union instrumentality, which in turn influenced their decision to unionize. Next, regarding the relational dimension of links between pioneer and subsequent actors, the channels and pathways for organizing diversified as a chain-reaction of diffusion occurred, in which subsequent actors in turn played the role of spreaders. Additionally, support and solidarity within these direct links — such as the provision of resources, information, and organizing tactics — played a role in the diffusion of unionization.