Parliament fails to open plenary session amid dispute over workers' bill

(ATTN: RECASTS headline, lead; UPDATES with afternoon situation throughout,
RESTRUCTURES)
SEOUL, June 29 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly failed to open a scheduled
plenary session Monday, as rival parties clashed over a controversial bill on
non-regular workers and committee meetings were disrupted by opposition blockades
and boycotts.
The opening of the plenary session, during which the Grand National Party (GNP)
planned to pass a revision on the law on non-regular workers, was foiled by
fierce protest from opposition parties and labor union officials who participated
in negotiations over the revision.
Under the current law, adopted in July 2007, companies are obliged to promote
irregular workers to regular status after two years of employment at a single
workplace.
Protesting the GNP's unilateral decision to put the bill to a vote, main
opposition Democratic Party (DP) lawmakers blocked doors of the committee room
from early morning.
Most of the committees were adjourned just minutes after convening, with half of
the seats empty due to boycotting DP members.
Resistance from the opposition is likely continue into the night, as the GNP may
seek a plenary session on Tuesday.
Since last Friday, three ranking members from the GNP, the DP and the splinter
opposition Liberty Forward Party (LFP) have held discussions with the nation's
two major labor unions to try to hammer out an agreement on the terms of the
bill.
The GNP and the LFP proposed a compromise involving a two-year grace period of
the law and a 1 trillion won ($780 million) budget for the transfer of workers'
status from irregular to regular. But the two umbrella labor unions -- the Korean
Confederation of Trade unions and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions --
strongly opposed the moratorium, saying they "can't accept any discussions based
on a grace period of the law."
Because of poor economic conditions, only a few employers are likely to promote
their non-regular workers -- including contract workers and part-time workers --
to regular employees when the two years are up, suggesting mass layoffs in the
coming months.
The stalemate was unresolved as of Monday afternoon, and the GNP requested
Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o to invoke his authority to convene a plenary session
should the parties not be able to compromise.
"There are often times when breakthroughs are reached at the last minute. I hope
for the two sides to do their best in reaching an accord," Kim was quoted as
saying in a meeting with GNP leaders.
The rival parties are also deadlocked over media deregulation bills.
The GNP is pushing revisions to media laws to allow cross-ownership of newspapers
and broadcasting companies. Opposition parties call the revisions a government
attempt to take control of news outlets and demand the proposed revisions be
fully negotiated and agreed upon before being passed.
odissy@yna.co.kr
(END)