Korea, Republic of

Organization responsible for the statistics

The statistics are collected, compiled and published by the Ministry of Labour.

Objectives and users

Not available.

Coverage

Strikes and lockouts

The statistics cover: Sympathetic strikes and political or protest strikes are not included.

Minimum threshold None.

Economic activities

No particular branches of economic activity are excluded.

Workers

Workers directly involved. In addition to regular paid employees, including part-time workers, the statistics cover temporary, casual and seasonal workers workers laid off and workers absent on sick leave, annual leave or absent for other reasons, and who took part in the action. Unpaid family workers are not included.

No particular occupational groups are excluded.

Geographic areas

Whole country.

Types of data collected

Concepts and definitions

Acts of labour disputes

Action such as strikes, sabotage, lockouts or other acts by which the parties concerned seek to achieve their objectives, and which hamper the normal operation of business.

Lockout

The closing down of shops on the part of employers resulting from the rupture of negotiations in labour-management disputes.

Labour disputes

Disputes remaining unsettled between the labour and management parties concerned, in relation to working conditions such as wages, working hours, dismissals, treatment of workers, etc.

These definitions come from the Labour Dispute Adjustment Law.

Methods of measurement

Strikes and lockouts

The basic unit of measurement used to record a strike, lockout or another act of labour dispute is the case of dispute in the individual establishment. If an act of labour dispute is interrupted but later resumes, still due to the same labour dispute, it is treated as a new act when it resumes.

Action due to the same case of dispute in different establishments is counted as a separate act of labour dispute in each establishment involved.

Economic units involved

The economic unit is the establishment, defined as the separate workplace of each enterprise with regard to its operating units. The number of establishments involved is not measured with respect to acts of labour disputes covering a whole region or branch of economic activity, or general acts of labour disputes.

Workers involved

The number of workers involved is the maximum number of workers that took part during the course of the act of labour dispute, even if some workers participated for only part of the duration. The numbers of workers involved directly and indirectly are measured separately. Part-time workers are counted as individuals on the same basis as full-time workers.

Duration

The duration is measured in calendar days, from the date the act of labour dispute began to the date it terminated, without interruption, in the particular establishment.

Time not worked

Time not worked in measured in calendar days, as the product of the number of workers involved and the duration. The number of days not worked by workers indirectly involved is measured separately. The shorter working hours of part-time workers and overtime are not taken into account.

Classifications

Cause of dispute

Type of action:

Method of settlement

Branch of economic activity

With the exception of data on widespread or general strikes and lockouts, the information is classified according to the economic activity of the establishment involved. For national purposes, the data are classified under manufacturing, mining, transportation and other activities. Data supplied to the ILO are classified according to the United Nations International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities, Rev. 2, 1968.

Reference period and periodicity

The information is compiled and published for periods of one year. The number of strikes, lockouts and other acts of labour disputes and the number of economic units involved relate to those beginning during the particular year. The number of workers involved and the duration relate to those ending during that year, and the amount of time not worked refers to all strikes, lockouts and other acts of labour disputes in progress during that year.

Analytical measures

None.

Historical background of the series

Not available.

Documentation

Series available

Not available.

Bibliographic references

Ministry of Labour: Yearly Labour Administration.

Economic Planning Board, National Bureau of Statistics: Korea Statistical Yearbook.

Data published by the ILO

The number of strikes and lockouts, the number of workers involved, the number of days not worked and rates of days not worked, by economic activity.

Confidentiality

Not available.

International standards

Not available.

Methods of data collection

Both employers and workers are legally required to report the occurrence of an act of labour dispute to the authorities concerned, i.e. the Labour Relations Commission, the regional government and the Ministry of Labour. The information to be reported includes the date, time, place, number of participants and type of action. There are no standard forms for this purpose.