Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 99도43

Violation of the Act on the Punishment of Violence, etc.; Obstruction of Business; Violation of the Labor Dispute Adjustment Act (폭력행위등처벌에관한법률위반·업무방해·노동쟁의조정법위반)폭력행위등처벌에관한법률위반·업무방해·노동쟁의조정법위반

Decided1999. 06. 11. Court대법원Employer 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.

Workers who had been dismissed, after their applications to the Labor Relations Commission (노동위원회) were rejected, intervened in a labor dispute (쟁의행위) without ever filing a lawsuit in court. The Supreme Court held that because they had not initiated or maintained any legal proceedings at the time they got involved in the dispute, their conduct violated the ban on third-party intervention (제3자 개입금지). Merely continuing to pay union dues or demanding reinstatement, without formally contesting the dismissal through legal channels, is not enough to escape 'third party' status.

Key takeaways
  • CaseDismissed workers, after losing their Labor Relations Commission case, joined a strike without filing any lawsuit to challenge their dismissal.
  • OutcomeThe Supreme Court ruled this was unlawful third-party intervention because no legal proceedings were pending when they got involved.
  • LessonDismissed workers who want to lawfully participate in a labor dispute must first file and actively maintain a legal challenge—such as an unfair dismissal (부당해고) lawsuit or a Labor Commission remedy application—before intervening.
Issues
  • The permissible scope of involvement by dismissed workers in labor disputes (쟁의행위)
  • The timing requirement for qualifying under the exception to the third-party intervention ban (제3자 개입금지)
Key reasoning

The exception to the third-party intervention ban is limited to dismissed workers who, within a reasonable period, filed an application for relief against unfair labor practices with the Labor Relations Commission or a lawsuit seeking confirmation that the dismissal is void, and who are actively contesting the dismissal's validity through such formal proceedings. Crucially, the worker must already have such legal proceedings pending at the time they intervene in the labor dispute—starting proceedings afterward does not count. Disputing the dismissal informally, such as continuing to pay union dues or demanding reinstatement, does not satisfy this requirement. Since the workers in this case took no legal action after their Labor Commission claims were dismissed, they could not claim the exception and were treated as prohibited third parties.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

A dismissed employee is treated as a person who does not fall under the "third party" whose intervention in industrial action is prohibited under Article 13-2 of the former Labor Dispute Adjustment Act (노동쟁의조정법) (repealed by Article 3 of the Addenda to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act (노동조합및노동관계조정법), Act No. 5244, December 31, 1996) only when he is "a person who, within a reasonable period, has asserted that his dismissal constitutes an unfair labor practice or is null and void, and has filed an application for remedy for unfair labor practice with the Labor Relations Commission or a lawsuit for confirmation of invalidity of dismissal with the court, thereby contesting the validity thereof." Therefore, it cannot be interpreted that a dismissed employee who is contesting the validity of his dismissal through individual or collective consultation processes other than legal proceedings is not a "third party" as referred to in the above provision. Moreover, it is only where the employee was already contesting the validity of the dismissal through legal proceedings at the time of intervening in the industrial action that he does not fall under the "third party" as referred to in the above provision.

Full text (English, AI translation) 4,383 chars

[Defendants] Defendant 1 and 2 others
[Appellants] Defendants
[Judgment Below] Changwon District Court Decision 98No73, decided December 10, 1998

[Order]

All appeals are dismissed.

[Reasoning] The grounds of appeal are examined.

1. As to Ground No. 1
Upon examining the reasoning of the judgment below in light of the record, it is acceptable that the court below, for the reasons stated in its judgment, upheld the judgment of the first instance court, which found the defendants guilty on all the criminal facts concerning violation of the Punishment of Violences, etc. Act (폭력행위등처벌에관한법률) and obstruction of business, and punished them accordingly; there is no error therein in violating the rules of evidence or in violating statutes. This ground of appeal cannot be accepted.

2. As to Ground No. 2
Under Article 13-2 of the former Labor Dispute Adjustment Act (구 노동쟁의조정법) (repealed by Article 3 of the Addenda to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act (노동조합및노동관계조정법), Act No. 5244, December 31, 1996), a dismissed worker who is treated as not falling under the category of "third party" prohibited from intervening in industrial actions is limited to "a person who, within a reasonable period, asserts that his or her dismissal was an unfair labor practice or invalid, and files a petition for relief from unfair labor practice with the Labor Relations Commission or a lawsuit for confirmation of invalidity of dismissal with a court, thereby contesting the validity thereof" (see Supreme Court en banc Decision 89Do1579, delivered November 27, 1990). Accordingly, it cannot be interpreted that a dismissed worker who contests the validity of the dismissal through individual or collective consultation processes other than by legal dispute is not a "third party" as referred to in the above provision (see Supreme Court Decision 93Do120, delivered February 8, 1994). Moreover, in order not to fall under the "third party" as referred to in the above provision, the worker must already be contesting the validity of the dismissal by means of legal dispute at the time of intervening in the industrial action.

Examining the reasoning of the judgment below in light of the above legal principles and the record, the court below found that: after the defendants were dismissed on February 5 or around February 7, 1996, they filed petitions for relief from unfair labor practice with the Gyeonggi-do Regional Labor Relations Commission, but all such petitions were dismissed by May 28 of that year; that, without taking any further measures such as filing a request for reexamination with the National Labor Relations Commission or filing a lawsuit for confirmation of invalidity of dismissal with a court, the defendants committed each of the acts described in Item 9 of the criminal facts found by the first instance court (as upheld by the court below) from late August to early September of that year; and that it was not until November 20 of that year, after having been indicted in this case, that the defendants finally filed a lawsuit against the company for confirmation of invalidity of dismissal, etc. Based on these findings, the court below determined that, even if the defendants had, prior to committing the above acts, been contesting the validity of the dismissal in fact by paying union dues and demanding reinstatement from the company, the defendants nonetheless fell under the category of "third party" as provided in Article 13-2 of the former Labor Dispute Adjustment Act at the time of committing the above acts. On that basis, it is acceptable that the court below upheld the judgment of the first instance court, which found the defendants guilty on all the criminal facts concerning violation of the Labor Dispute Adjustment Act and punished them accordingly; there is no error therein in misjudging the timing of the filing of the lawsuit for confirmation of invalidity of dismissal or in misunderstanding the legal principles concerning the scope of third parties who may intervene in industrial actions. This ground of appeal likewise cannot be accepted.

3. Therefore, all the Justices participating in the decision unanimously agree to dismiss all the appeals, and it is so decided as set forth in the Order.

Presiding Justice Jeong Gwi-ho, Justice Kim Hyeong-seon, Justice Lee Yong-hoon (Presiding for Deliberation), Justice Jo Mu-je

【판결요지】

해고된 근로자가 구 노동쟁의조정법(1996. 12. 31. 법률 제5244호 노동조합및노동관계조정법 부칙 제3조로 폐지) 제13조의2에서 쟁의행위에 개입을 금지하는 제3자에 해당하지 아니하는 자로서 취급되는 경우란 '상당한 기간 내에 그 해고가 부당노동행위이거나 무효라고 주장하여 노동위원회나 법원에 부당노동행위의 구제신청이나 해고무효확인의 소를 제기하여 그 효력을 다투는 자'에 국한되는 것이므로, 해고근로자가 법률적 쟁송 이외의 방법으로 개별적 또는 집단적 협의과정을 통하여 해고의 효력을 다투고 있다 하여 위 법조에서 말하는 제3자가 아니라고 해석할 수 없는 것이고, 또한 쟁의행위에 개입할 당시에 이미 법률적 쟁송의 방법으로 해고의 효력을 다투고 있어야 위 법조에서 말하는 제3자에 해당하지 아니한다고 할 것이다.

【참조조문】

구 노동쟁의조정법(1996. 12. 31. 법률 제5244호 노동조합및노동관계조정법 부칙 제3조로 폐지) 제13조의2

【참조판례】

대법원 1990. 11. 27. 선고 89도1579 전원합의체 판결(공1991, 272), 대법원 1991. 11. 8. 선고 91도326 판결(공1992, 152), 대법원 1992. 2. 11. 선고 91도1342 판결(공1992, 1070), 대법원 1994. 2. 8. 선고 93도120 판결(공1994상, 1035)

【주문】·【이유】 전문 1,500자 · 펼쳐 보기

【피 고 인】 피고인 1 외 2인

【상 고 인】 피고인들

【원심판결】 창원지법 1998. 12. 10. 선고 98노73 판결

【주 문】

상고를 모두 기각한다.

【이 유】 상고이유를 판단한다.

1. 제1점에 대하여

원심판결 이유를 기록에 비추어 살펴보면, 원심이 피고인들에 대하여 폭력행위등처벌에관한법률위반의 점 및 업무방해의 점의 범죄사실을 모두 유죄로 인정하여 처벌한 제1심판결을 그 판시와 같은 이유로 그대로 유지한 것은 수긍이 가고, 거기에 채증법칙을 위배하였거나 법령을 위반한 잘못이 없다. 이 부분 상고이유는 받아들일 수 없다.

2. 제2점에 대하여

해고된 근로자가 구 노동쟁의조정법(1996. 12. 31. 법률 제5244호 노동조합및노동관계조정법 부칙 제3조로 폐지) 제13조의2에서 쟁의행위에 개입을 금지하는 제3자에 해당하지 아니하는 자로서 취급되는 경우란 '상당한 기간 내에 그 해고가 부당노동행위이거나 무효라고 주장하여 노동위원회나 법원에 부당노동행위의 구제신청이나 해고무효확인의 소를 제기하여 그 효력을 다투는 자'에 국한되는 것이므로(대법원 1990. 11. 27. 선고 89도1579 전원합의체 판결 참조), 해고근로자가 법률적 쟁송 이외의 방법으로 개별적 또는 집단적 협의과정을 통하여 해고의 효력을 다투고 있다 하여 위 법조에서 말하는 제3자가 아니라고 해석할 수 없는 것이고(대법원 1994. 2. 8. 선고 93도120 판결 참조), 또한 쟁의행위에 개입할 당시에 이미 법률적 쟁송의 방법으로 해고의 효력을 다투고 있어야 위 법조에서 말하는 제3자에 해당하지 아니한다고 할 것이다.

원심판결 이유를 위와 같은 법리와 기록에 비추어 살펴보면, 원심이 피고인들은 1996. 2. 5. 또는 같은 달 7.경 자신들이 해고되자 경기도지방노동위원회에 부당노동행위구제신청을 하였으나 같은 해 5. 28.까지 모두 기각된 후, 중앙노동위원회에 재심신청을 하거나 법원에 해고무효확인의 소를 제기하는 등의 조치를 취하지 아니한 상태에서 같은 해 8. 말에서 9. 초까지 원심이 유지한 제1심 판시 범죄사실 제9항의 각 범행을 하였고, 이 사건으로 기소된 후인 같은 해 11. 20.에 이르러서야 비로소 회사를 상대로 해고무효확인 등의 소송을 제기한 사실을 인정한 다음, 그와 같은 사정에 비추어 피고인들이 위 범행 전까지 노동조합비를 납부하고, 회사에 대하여 복직을 요구하는 등 사실상 해고의 효력을 다투었다 할지라도, 위 범행 당시에는 피고인들이 구 노동쟁의조정법 제13조의2 소정의 제3자에 해당한다는 이유로, 피고인들에 대한 노동쟁의조정법위반의 점의 범죄사실을 모두 유죄로 인정하여 처벌한 제1심판결을 그대로 유지한 것은 수긍이 가고, 거기에 해고무효확인소송의 제기시점을 잘못 판단하여 쟁의행위에 개입할 수 있는 제3자의 범위에 관한 법리를 오해한 위법이 없다. 이 부분 상고이유도 받아들일 수 없다.

3. 그러므로 상고를 모두 기각하기로 관여 법관의 의견이 일치되어 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 정귀호(재판장) 김형선 이용훈(주심) 조무제

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