Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 96다26671

Wages (Case No. 96Da26671)임금

Decided1996. 12. 06. Court대법원Worker (union official) won
AI-generated English translation (summary, key points, decision summary and full text) for reference only — not an official translation and without legal effect. The Korean original below is authoritative.
AI Easy read — AI summary of this decision
AI-generated summary for reference only — the Korean original below is authoritative.

In a case where a full-time union official (노동조합 전임자) — an employee who works exclusively on union affairs rather than performing regular job duties — demanded payment of wages from the company, the Supreme Court (대법원) ruled that such an official holds a status similar to an employee on leave of absence (휴직), since they are not obligated to provide labor services to the employer. The Court held that the 'no work, no pay' principle (무노동무임금 원칙), which applies to ordinary employees who have a duty to provide labor, cannot be directly applied to full-time union officials. The employee (plaintiff) won the case.

Key takeaways
  • CaseA full-time union official demanded that the company pay wages for the period of union-only work.
  • OutcomeThe Supreme Court ruled that because a full-time union official's status is similar to being on leave of absence, the 'no work, no pay' principle does not directly apply to them.
  • LessonSince full-time union officials are in a special position without a duty to provide regular labor services, unlike ordinary employees, their wage entitlements must be evaluated separately rather than through the standard 'no work, no pay' framework.
Issues
  • The meaning of 'a decision conflicting with Supreme Court precedent' as a ground for appeal under the Small Claims Act (소액사건심판법)
  • The employment contract status of a full-time union official (노동조합 전임자)
  • Whether the 'no work, no pay' principle (무노동무임금 원칙) applies to full-time union officials
Key reasoning

A full-time union official maintains the underlying employment relationship and employee status with the company, but is exempted from the duty to provide labor services because their position is similar to that of an employee on leave of absence (휴직상태). Since the 'no work, no pay' principle presupposes an employee's obligation to perform labor, it cannot be mechanically or directly applied to someone in this exempted status. Therefore, denying wages to a full-time union official simply because they did not perform regular company work is not automatically justified under this principle. The Court also clarified a procedural point: under the Small Claims Act (소액사건심판법), an appeal to the Supreme Court is only permitted when the lower court's decision conflicts with existing Supreme Court precedent, and confirmed this standard was met here.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

[1] The phrase "when a judgment contrary to Supreme Court precedent has been made" under Article 3, Item 2 of the Act on Special Cases Concerning the Trial of Small Claims Cases (소액사건심판법) refers to a case where an interpretation contrary to that rendered by the Supreme Court has been made with respect to the interpretation of the statute applicable to the specific case at issue.

[2] A full-time union official maintains the basic labor relationship with the employer and retains the status of an employee of the enterprise, but is in a position similar to an employee on leave of absence, in that he or she may be exempted from performing labor under the labor contract.

[3] Since the Supreme Court en banc Decision 94Da26721, decided December 21, 1995, and other precedents concerning the right to claim wages during a period of industrial action, declare the principle of "no work, no pay" applicable to employees who bear the obligation to provide labor under a labor contract, they cannot be regarded as precedents directly applicable to a case concerning a full-time union official who bears no such obligation to provide labor.

Full text (English, AI translation) 2,965 chars

[Plaintiff, Appellee] Plaintiff
[Defendant, Appellant] Korea Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (Attorneys for the defendant, Dongseo Law Firm, Attorney Park Woo-dong and 1 other)
[Lower Court Judgment] Changwon District Court Decision of April 26, 1996, 95Na5305

[Order]

The appeal is dismissed. The costs of the appeal shall be borne by the Defendant.

[Reasoning] The grounds of appeal are examined.
This case is a small claims case (소액사건) under the Small Claims Trial Act (소액사건심판법; hereinafter referred to as the "Act"), and with respect to small claims cases such as this one, the phrase "where a judgment has been rendered that contradicts a Supreme Court precedent" as set forth in Article 3, Item 2 of the Act, which constitutes a ground for appeal, refers to a case in which an interpretation contrary to that rendered by the Supreme Court has been made with respect to the interpretation of the statutes applicable to the specific case at issue (see Supreme Court Decision 82Da504, delivered December 28, 1982; Supreme Court Decision 87Da180, delivered September 8, 1987).

However, a full-time union official such as the Plaintiff in this case, while maintaining the basic labor-management relationship with the employer and retaining his status as an employee of the enterprise, is in a position similar to an employee on leave of absence, in that he is in a status where he may refrain from performing labor under the employment contract (see Supreme Court Decision 94Da58087, delivered April 11, 1995; Supreme Court Decision 94Da54566, delivered November 10, 1995). Meanwhile, the Supreme Court precedents cited in the grounds of appeal declared the principle of "no work, no pay" with respect to employees who bear the duty to provide labor under an employment contract, and thus cannot be regarded as precedents directly applicable to this case concerning the Plaintiff, who is a full-time union official with no duty to provide labor. Accordingly, the ground of appeal alleging that the lower court's judgment violated precedent amounts, in substance, not to an assertion that the lower court's judgment contradicts the interpretation of statutes declared in precedent, but merely to an assertion that the lower court's judgment violated statutes due to a simple misunderstanding of the law, and thus does not constitute a legitimate ground of appeal.

Furthermore, the other grounds of appeal alleging illegality on the grounds of insufficient deliberation, misunderstanding of the law, and omission of judgment do not fall under any of the grounds set forth in Article 3 of the Small Claims Trial Act, and thus cannot constitute legitimate grounds of appeal.

Therefore, the appeal is dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are to be borne by the Defendant, the Appellant, the opinions of the Justices involved being unanimous, and it is so ordered.

Justice Park Jun-seo (Presiding Justice), Park Man-ho, Kim Hyung-sun, Lee Yong-hoon (Justice in Charge)

【판결요지】

[1] 소액사건심판법 제3조 제2호에서 말하는 '대법원 판례에 상반되는 판단을 한 때'라 함은 구체적인 당해 사건에 적용할 법령의 해석에 관해서 대법원이 내린 판단과 상반되는 해석을 한 경우를 말한다.

[2] 노동조합 전임자는 사용자와의 사이에 기본적 노사관계는 유지되고 기업의 근로자로서의 신분도 그대로 가지는 것이지만, 휴직상태에 있는 근로자와 유사하여 근로계약상의 근로를 하지 않을 수 있는 지위에 있다.

[3] 쟁의행위기간 중의 임금청구권에 관한 대법원 1995. 12. 21. 선고 94다26721 전원합의체 판결 등은 근로계약상의 근로제공의무를 부담하는 근로자의 경우에 관한 무노동무임금의 원칙을 선언한 것이므로, 이는 근로제공의무가 없는 노동조합 전임자에 관한 사건에 직접 적용할 선례라고 할 수 없다.

【참조조문】

[1] 소액사건심판법 제3조 제2호

[2] 근로기준법 제14조, 제27조 제1항

[3] 근로기준법 제18조, 제36조 제2항

【참조판례】

[1][3] 대법원 1982. 12. 28. 선고 82다504 판결(공1983, 417), 대법원 1987. 9. 8. 선고 87다180 판결(공1987, 1558), 대법원 1995. 10. 12. 선고 95다6403 판결(공1995하, 3729) /[2] 대법원 1993. 8. 24. 선고 92다34926 판결(공1993하, 2576), 대법원 1995. 4. 11. 선고 94다58087 판결(공1995상, 1840), 대법원 1995. 11. 10. 선고 94다54566 판결 /[3] 대법원 1995. 12. 21. 선고 94다26721 전원합의체 판결(공1996상, 208), 대법원 1996. 2. 9. 선고 94다19501 판결(공1996상, 857)

【주문】·【이유】 전문 1,143자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고,피상고인】 원고

【피고,상고인】 한국중공업 주식회사 (소송대리인 동서법무법인 담당변호사 박우동 외 1인)

【원심판결】 창원지법 1996. 4. 26. 선고 95나5305 판결

【주문】

상고를 기각한다. 상고비용은 피고의 부담으로 한다.

【이유】 상고이유를 판단한다.

이 사건은 소액사건심판법(이하 "법"이라 한다) 소정의 소액사건으로서 이 사건과 같은 소액사건의 상고이유가 되는 법 제3조 제2호에서 말하는 대법원판례에 상반되는 판단을 한 때라 함은 구체적인 당해 사건에 적용할 법령의 해석에 관해서 대법원이 내린 판단과 상반되는 해석을 한 경우를 말하는 것이다 ( 대법원 1982. 12. 28. 선고 82다504 판결, 1987. 9. 8. 선고 87다180 판결 각 참조).

그런데 이 사건 원고와 같은 노동조합 전임자는 사용자와의 사이에 기본적 노사관계는 유지되고 기업의 근로자로서의 신분도 그대로 가지는 것이지만, 휴직상태에 있는 근로자와 유사하여 근로계약상의 근로를 하지 않을 수 있는 지위에 있다고 할 것이고( 대법원 1995. 4. 11. 선고 94다58087 판결, 1995. 11. 10. 선고 94다54566 판결 각 참조), 한편 상고이유에서 들고 있는 대법원 판례는 근로계약상의 근로제공의무를 부담하는 근로자의 경우에 관한 무노동무임금의 원칙을 선언한 것이므로, 이는 근로제공의무가 없는 노동조합 전임자인 원고에 관한 이 사건에 직접 적용할 선례라고 할 수 없다. 따라서 원심판결에 판례위반의 위법이 있다는 상고이유는 결국 원심판결이 판례가 선언한 법령해석에 반하는 판단이라기 보다는 단순한 법리오해로 인한 법령위반에 해당한다는 취지에 지나지 아니하는 것이므로 이는 적법한 상고이유가 되지 아니한다.

그 밖에 상고이유에서 들고 있는 심리미진, 법리오해, 판단유탈 등의 위법이 있다는 사유도 소액심판법 제3조 소정의 어느 사유에도 해당하지 아니하므로 적법한 상고이유가 될 수 없다.

그러므로 상고를 기각하고, 상고비용은 상고인인 피고의 부담으로 하기로 관여 법관의 의견이 일치되어 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 박준서(재판장) 박만호 김형선 이용훈(주심)

Related statutes

Similar cases

Cases with high content similarity to this one.

#1
97다54727 · 대법원 1998-04-24
Severance Pay (퇴직금) Case
#2
2010도10721 · 대법원 2011-02-10
노동조합및노동관계조정법위반
#3
2011나1392 · 제주지방법원 2011-10-05
Wages
#4
2006노2115 · 대전지방법원 2007-01-25
Violation of the Labor Standards Act
#5
2002가합4964 · 광주지법 2004-08-13
Wages

Cases citing this decision

2010도10721 · 대법원 2011-02-10
노동조합및노동관계조정법위반
2003두12790 · 대법원 2005-06-23
부당노동행위및부당해고구제재심판정취소
2003다51675 · 대법원 2004-02-27
Action to Confirm Invalidity of Dismissal, etc.
97다54727 · 대법원 1998-04-24
Severance Pay (퇴직금) Case
97다6926 · 대법원 1997-04-25
Action to Confirm Invalidity of Dismissal, etc.

Related tools & guides

AI answers need an account (free accounts: 2 per month) — submit and you'll return to this question after logging in. Search and case reading stay free.

Cross-check the original: 국가법령정보센터 (auxiliary link)