[EDITORIALS]An encouraging development

It is good that the tripartite commission of labor, management and government has agreed on a convention for job creation. Labor has agreed to control wage increase demands for two years, and management has promised to refrain from layoffs and to create jobs through investment. To help, the government will abolish regulations and accelerate providing support in tax and legal provisions. Although this is merely a declaration, it is an unavoidable step toward saving the economy and solving unemployment.
We find some loose points, both in form and content, in the convention. First, one of the two umbrella labor unions, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, did not participate, and whether the Korean Employers Federation can represent management is a point of contention. It is questionable whether the convention will influence individual workshops. And the content is lacking in concrete specifics. Still, it is a sign of progress that labor and management, which have clashed on almost all issues, are speaking in one voice about this crisis. We hope this will provide a chance to prepare a permanent system for stable labor-management relations, and a better labor market.
Labor, management and government must engage in frank dialogue and present multiple implementation proposals so that the content of the convention spreads to all industrial sectors. Moreover, the comprehensive plan for job creation, to be presented this month, should contain concrete ideas. If it contains a comprehensive measure, such as the abolishment of various regulations to improve the business environment, we can expect it to be effective. If the government tries to lower unemployment figures with temporary jobs, it will be criticized as a political ploy aimed at the legislative election.
The umbrella organizations must explain the inevitability of the measure to individual unions and businesses. We hope that the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions will participate in a follow-up meeting.
There are many obstacles to overcome before the agreement is put into force. If each party is obsessed with its own interesst, the fragile basis of agreement will be lost at a stroke. We urge labor, management and government to make concessions and resolve their problems.