파업은 왜 길어지는가?

The longer strikes last, the less impact they have on striking workers, companies, and the economy and society, but it has been relatively unclear why strikes last longer. This study combines both quantitative and qualitative research to identify the causes of prolonged strikes. The quantitative study analyzed strike data from the last seven years (2016-2022) of labor unions affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, while the qualitative study conducted case studies of four labor unions with recent long strikes. The quantitative analysis showed that strike duration is positively related to the following factors: non-regular employment agenda, restructuring, collective agreement termination/non-implementation, unionization/first collective agreement, anti-union policies, and management retirement. The case analysis also shows that the anti-union policy of the employer affects the prolongation of the strike. These results suggest that the duration of strikes in Korea cannot be explained by the information asymmetry theory alone, and that employers’ industrial relations strategies may have a more important impact.