SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Yonhap) -- Unionized members of Naver Corp., South Korea's major portal operator, called on the company Thursday to engage in integrated bargaining that encompasses its affiliates.

Around 300 members made the demand as they gathered at the lobby of the company's second office building in Gyeonggi Province, south of Seoul. The members blamed Naver for avoiding direct accountability as the parent company by forcing separate, decentralized negotiations across its affiliates instead of engaging in groupwide bargaining.

"Over the last year, 16 affiliates engaged in a total of 150 negotiations, which lasted for around 1,000 hours, but none of the management from the affiliates were able to make a decision before the headquarters reached a deal," the union said.

They demanded an end to such arrangements, saying it results in a huge waste of resources and discriminates affiliates.

Reflecting this stance, unionized members sent an official letter to Naver's headquarters at 2 p.m., demanding the signing of a collective bargaining agreement across 16 affiliates.

In the letter, members demanded the parent company improve its integrated management process, expand employee welfare and establish a centralized labor-management relationship, among others.

fairydust@yna.co.kr

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