Ceva Logistics Korea hired replacement labour during a strike by the Korean Federation of Public Services and Transportation Workers’ Unions (KPTU). The legal strike began on 22 June 2015 to demand an end to discrimination against union members and officers and the fulfilment of past agreements on conditions and bonus pay. It ended on 18 August when an agreement was reached.
Before the strike even began, the Ceva Logistics management contacted one of its subcontracting companies normally only responsible for a small portion of night time work to provide workers take over the work of the employees on strike. The subcontractor took over as much as 75 per cent of Ceva’s work while the strike was going on, in clear violation of the Trade Union and Labour Relations and Adjustment Act. The company also illegally used union members’ names and email addresses to carry out business with clients while the strike was going on.
The union pressed charges against the employer but withdrew them after an agreement was reached with the company. Separately the Ministry of Labour is carrying out an investigation into the use of replacement workers, but no conclusions had been reached at the time of writing.