Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 2002도2243

Violation of the Act on the Punishment of Violence, etc. (폭력행위등처벌에관한법률위반)폭력행위등처벌에관한법률위반

Decided2002. 09. 24. Court대법원Worker 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.

This case addressed whether university labor union members who entered their workplace during a strike committed trespassing (주거침입죄). The Supreme Court held that because the employer's lockout (직장폐쇄) was unjustified, the workers' entry into the workplace did not constitute a crime. A lockout is only recognized as a legitimate act of dispute (정당한 쟁의행위) if it is a proportionate defensive measure against the workers' strike, and since the strike involved only a minority of union members and caused no significant disruption to operations, the lockout was found to lack legitimacy.

Key takeaways
  • CaseUniversity union members entered their usual workplace during a strike after the employer declared a lockout in response.
  • OutcomeThe Supreme Court found the lockout unjustified since the strike caused no significant disruption, and therefore the workers' entry did not constitute trespassing.
  • LessonEmployers should only implement a lockout when it is a proportionate response to actual operational disruption caused by a strike, otherwise it may be deemed unjustified and expose them to legal risk.
Issues
  • What requirements must be met for an employer's lockout (직장폐쇄) to be recognized as a legitimate act of dispute (정당한 쟁의행위)?
  • Whether workers' entry into the workplace during an unjustified lockout constitutes trespassing (주거침입죄).
Key reasoning

A lockout is recognized as a legitimate labor dispute act only when it constitutes a reasonable and proportionate defensive measure taken in response to the workers' strike action. In this case, the strike was conducted by only a minority of union members and did not cause any particular disruption to business operations, meaning there was no real need for the employer to resort to a lockout. Because the lockout lacked such necessity and proportionality, it was deemed unjustified. Consequently, when workers entered a workplace to which they were ordinarily permitted access, such entry did not amount to trespassing (주거침입죄), since the premise for excluding them—the lockout—was itself invalid.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

[1] An employer's lockout can be recognized as a legitimate industrial action of the employer only when it has reasonable justification as a defensive measure against the employees' industrial action, in light of specific circumstances such as the bargaining attitude and bargaining process of the employer and employees, the purpose and method of the employees' industrial action, and the degree of damage suffered by the employer as a result thereof.

[2] Where an employer's lockout is not recognized as a legitimate industrial action, absent other special circumstances, an employee's act of entering the workplace to which the employee is ordinarily permitted access does not constitute the crime of trespass on premises (주거침입죄).

Full text (English, AI translation) 2,409 chars

[Defendant] The Defendant and 11 others
[Appellant] Prosecutor
[Defense Counsel] Attorney Kim Seon-su and 1 other
[Judgment Below] Daejeon District Court Decision 2001No1004, decided April 19, 2002

[Order]

The appeal is dismissed.

[Reasoning]

A lockout by an employer can be recognized as a legitimate industrial action of the employer only where it is reasonable as a defensive measure against the employees' industrial action, in light of specific circumstances such as the bargaining attitude and bargaining process between the employer and the employees, the purpose and method of the employees' industrial action, and the degree of harm suffered by the employer as a result thereof (see Supreme Court Decision 98Da34331, decided May 26, 2000). Where the employer's lockout is not recognized as a legitimate industrial action, an employee's act of entering the workplace to which he or she was normally allowed access does not constitute the crime of trespass, absent other special circumstances.

The court below, in the same vein, determined as follows: in light of the circumstances leading up to the industrial action taken by the Defendants, who were office workers of Namseoul University and members of the Namseoul University Labor Union, as well as the purpose and method of the industrial action, the fact that the number of union members participating in the industrial action was small, and the fact that the industrial action was not a situation likely to cause any particular disruption to the operation of Namseoul University, it cannot be found that Namseoul University's lockout was legitimate as a defensive measure against the Defendants' industrial action. Accordingly, the court below determined that the Defendants' acts of entering the parking lot, cafeteria, and labor union office, etc., within the premises of Namseoul University, which were areas not specifically restricted from access by general faculty and staff, did not constitute the crime of trespass. This determination is correct, and there is no error therein, such as violation of the rules of evidence or misapprehension of legal principles, as argued in the grounds of appeal. Therefore, all of the grounds of appeal are rejected.

Accordingly, it is so ordered that the appeal be dismissed, as stated in the Order.

Justice Bae Gi-won (Presiding Justice), Seo Seong, Lee Yong-woo, Park Jae-yun (Justice in Charge)

【판결요지】

[1] 사용자의 직장폐쇄는 사용자와 근로자의 교섭태도와 교섭과정, 근로자의 쟁의행위의 목적과 방법 및 그로 인하여 사용자가 받는 타격의 정도 등 구체적인 사정에 비추어 근로자의 쟁의행위에 대한 방어수단으로서 상당성이 있어야만 사용자의 정당한 쟁의행위로 인정될 수 있다.

[2] 사용자의 직장폐쇄가 정당한 쟁의행위로 인정되지 아니하는 때에는 다른 특별한 사정이 없는 한 근로자가 평소 출입이 허용되는 사업장 안에 들어가는 행위가 주거침입죄를 구성하지 아니한다.

【참조조문】

[1] 노동조합및노동관계조정법 제46조

[2] 형법 제319조, 노동조합및노동관계조정법 제46조

【참조판례】

[1] 대법원 2000. 5. 26. 선고 98다34331 판결(공2000하, 1493)

【주문】·【이유】 전문 865자 · 펼쳐 보기

【피 고 인】 피고인 외 11인

【상 고 인】 검사

【변 호 인】 변호사 김선수 외 1인

【원심판결】 대전지법 2002. 4. 19. 선고 2001노1004 판결

【주 문】

상고를 기각한다.

【이 유】사용자의 직장폐쇄는 사용자와 근로자의 교섭태도와 교섭과정, 근로자의 쟁의행위의 목적과 방법 및 그로 인하여 사용자가 받는 타격의 정도 등 구체적인 사정에 비추어 근로자의 쟁의행위에 대한 방어수단으로서 상당성이 있어야만 사용자의 정당한 쟁의행위로 인정될 수 있고(대법원 2000. 5. 26. 선고 98다34331 판결 참조), 사용자의 직장폐쇄가 정당한 쟁의행위로 인정되지 아니하는 때에는 다른 특별한 사정이 없는 한 근로자가 평소 출입이 허용되는 사업장 안에 들어가는 행위가 주거침입죄를 구성하지 아니한다.

원심이 같은 취지에서, 그 판시와 같이 남서울대학교의 사무직 근로자로서 남서울대학교노동조합의 조합원인 피고인들이 쟁의행위를 하게 된 경위와 그 목적 및 방법, 그리고 쟁의행위에 참여한 조합원의 수가 소수이고 쟁의행위로 인하여 남서울대학교의 업무 수행에 특별한 지장이 초래될 만한 상황이 아니었던 점 등에 비추어 볼 때, 남서울대학교의 직장폐쇄는 피고인들의 쟁의행위에 대한 방어수단으로서 정당성이 있다고 볼 수 없으므로, 피고인들이 남서울대학교 구내로서 특별히 일반 교직원들의 출입이 통제되지 아니한 주차장과 식당 또는 노동조합 사무실 등지에 출입한 행위가 주거침입죄에 해당하지 아니한다고 판단한 것은 옳고, 거기에 상고이유의 주장과 같은 채증법칙 위배나 법리오해 등의 잘못이 없다. 따라서 상고이유는 모두 받아들일 수 없다.

그러므로 주문과 같이 상고를 기각하기로 판결한다.

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