The sharp confrontation between labor and management of IKEA Korea, which has been in conflict for months, is likely to lead to a legal battle.
The IKEA union plans to sue Fredrik Johansson, head of IKEA Korea, for unfair labor practices as early as this month.
Also, 48 civic, social, and economic organizations in Gwangmyeong have issued statements supporting the union's demand to improve the working environment.
According to the IKEA Korea branch of the Mart Industrial Workers' Union on Jan. 7, a local civic group in Gwangmyeong said, "We deplore a foreign company that cannot protect the average working environment of Korea and urges IKEA, a global company, to change the deceptive treatment of Korean workers."
They said, "We support the key demands proposed by the IKEA labor union in the negotiations, and we demand that IKEA management immediately coordinates with the labor union to improve the labor environment."
The IKEA union, which was established in February last year, called on management to provide free meals, guarantee mandatory closure days, work at least six hours a day, and guarantee 14 hours of rest between working days.
The labor union suggested non-support of meals provided by large retailers, refusal of paid breaks, ultra-short working hours, non-introduction of sick leave as key reasons for the planned strike.
