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대법원 2012두9758

Revocation of Reexamination Ruling on Unfair Job Transfer (부당전직구제재심판정취소)부당전직구제재심판정취소

Decided2016. 03. 10. 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.

The Korean Racing Authority (한국마사회) was found to have committed an unfair job transfer (부당전직) when it directly employed dispatched workers who had worked for more than two years, but then assigned them to positions with less favorable working conditions than those of regular employees performing the same or similar duties. Under the former Act on Protection of Dispatched Workers (파견근로자보호법), when an employer is deemed to have directly employed a dispatched worker after the two-year statutory limit, that worker must be guaranteed the same working conditions as regular employees in equivalent roles. The Supreme Court (대법원) upheld the lower court's ruling in favor of the workers.

Key takeaways
  • CaseThe Korean Racing Authority directly employed workers who had been dispatched for over two years, then reassigned them to less favorable positions than regular employees.
  • OutcomeThe Supreme Court ruled this reassignment was an unfair job transfer (부당전직), confirming the workers' victory.
  • LessonEmployers must provide workers who become directly employed after the two-year dispatch limit with the same working conditions as regular employees in equivalent roles.
Issues
  • What working conditions must be guaranteed to a dispatched worker upon deemed direct employment after exceeding the two-year dispatch limit?
  • Whether the subsequent personnel assignment issued after such deemed direct employment was lawful or constituted an unfair job transfer (부당전직)
Key reasoning

Under the former Act on Protection of Dispatched Workers, once a dispatched worker who has worked over two years is deemed to be directly employed by the user company, that worker must receive the same working conditions as regular employees performing the same or similar work. This legal fiction of direct employment is intended to prevent employers from using dispatch arrangements to keep workers in inferior conditions indefinitely. Therefore, any personnel assignment made after such deemed direct employment that imposes conditions worse than those of comparable regular employees constitutes an unfair job transfer (부당전직). The employer cannot circumvent the statutory protection by placing newly regularized workers into disadvantageous positions distinct from their regular counterparts.

Full text (English, AI translation) 6,245 chars

[Plaintiff, Appellee]

[Defendant] Chairperson of the National Labor Relations Commission
[Intervenor for the Defendant, Appellant] Korea Racing Authority (Legal representative: Bae, Kim & Lee LLC (Yulchon), Attorney Lee Jeong-han)

[Judgment Below] Seoul High Court Decision 2011Nu34391, decided April 5, 2012

[Order]

All appeals are dismissed. The costs of the appeal shall be borne by the Intervenor for the Defendant.

[Reasoning]

The grounds for appeal are examined.

1. As to the First Ground for Appeal
The former Act on the Protection, etc. of Dispatched Workers (「구 파견근로자보호 등에 관한 법률」) (before its amendment by Act No. 8076 on December 21, 2006; hereinafter the "former Dispatch Act," and the amended Act on the Protection, etc. of Dispatched Workers referred to as the "amended Dispatch Act") provides, in the main text of Article 6(3), that "where a using employer continuously uses a dispatched worker for a period exceeding two years, the using employer shall be deemed to have employed the dispatched worker as of the day following the date on which the two-year period expires" (hereinafter the "deemed direct employment provision"). This means that where a worker dispatch exists and continues for a period exceeding two years, a direct employment relationship is deemed to have been formed immediately between the using employer and the dispatched worker, and, absent special circumstances, such employment relationship must be regarded as one without a fixed term (see, e.g., Supreme Court en banc Decision 2007Du22320, decided September 18, 2008).

Furthermore, in light of the following points, taken together: (i) since Article 1 of the former Dispatch Act states that its legislative purpose is to contribute to the employment stability and welfare improvement of dispatched workers by establishing standards regarding the working conditions, etc. of dispatched workers, the working conditions of dispatched workers may be considered no less important than their employment stability; (ii) Article 21 of the former Dispatch Act not only provides that a dispatched worker shall not be subjected to discriminatory treatment as compared with a worker of the same kind performing the same duties within the using employer's business, but treating a dispatched worker who has come to form a direct employment relationship with the using employer equally with workers of the using employer performing the same or similar duties also accords with the concept of fairness; and (iii) Article 6-2(3)(1) of the amended Dispatch Act likewise provides that, with respect to the working conditions applicable where a using employer must directly employ a dispatched worker as a result of having continuously used said dispatched worker for a period exceeding two years, such conditions shall be governed by "the working conditions prescribed in the rules of employment, etc. applicable to a worker of the using employer who performs the same or similar duties as the relevant dispatched worker, where such a worker exists" — it is reasonable to conclude that the working conditions of a dispatched worker who is deemed to have been directly employed by the using employer pursuant to the deemed direct employment provision are identical to the working conditions prescribed in the rules of employment, etc. applicable to a worker of the using employer who performs the same or similar duties as the relevant dispatched worker, where such a worker exists.

In light of these legal principles and the record, the court below's determination — to the same effect, that where employment is deemed to exist pursuant to the deemed direct employment provision, and there exists among the using employer's workers a worker performing the same or similar duties as the relevant dispatched worker, the working conditions prescribed in the rules of employment, etc. applicable to that worker shall also apply to the dispatched worker — is justifiable and may be upheld, and there is no error therein, as alleged in the grounds for appeal, in misunderstanding the legal principles concerning the working conditions arising from the application of the deemed direct employment provision.

2. As to the Second through Fourth Grounds for Appeal
According to the reasoning of the judgment below and the reasoning of the first instance judgment partially cited by the court below, the court below, having found the facts as stated in its reasoning, determined that although it cannot be said that the Plaintiffs performed duties identical to those of the Intervenor for the Defendant's technical staff employees, in light of the fact that most of the duties they actually performed substantially overlapped with the duties of the technical staff employees, it may be said that they performed at least duties similar to those of the technical staff employees, and therefore the working conditions applicable to the Intervenor for the Defendant's technical staff employees also apply to the Plaintiffs. Furthermore, with respect to the legitimacy of the personnel order dated February 24, 2010 issued by the Intervenor for the Defendant with respect to the Plaintiffs (hereinafter "the instant personnel order"), the court below, citing the circumstances stated in its reasoning, determined that the instant personnel order was unlawful in that it either failed to grant working conditions appropriate to the Plaintiffs or altered the content of the employment relationship formed between the Plaintiffs and the Intervenor for the Defendant.

Examining the reasoning of the judgment below in light of the record, the above determination of the court below may be upheld, and there is no error therein such as exceeding the bounds of the principle of free evaluation of evidence in violation of the rules of logic and experience, or misunderstanding the legal principles concerning the reasonableness of working conditions or personnel orders.

3. Conclusion
Therefore, all appeals are dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are to be borne by the losing party. This judgment is rendered as set forth in the Order with the unanimous consent of the participating Justices.

Justice Lee In-bok (Presiding Justice), Kim So-young, Lee Ki-taek (Justice in Charge)

【참조조문】

[1] 구 파견근로자보호 등에 관한 법률(2006. 12. 21. 법률 제8076호로 개정되기 전의 것) 제6조 제3항

[2] 구 파견근로자보호 등에 관한 법률(2006. 12. 21. 법률 제8076호로 개정되기 전의 것) 제1조, 제6조 제3항, 제21조, 파견근로자보호 등에 관한 법률 제6조의2 제3항 제1호

【주문】·【이유】 전문 2,218자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고, 피상고인】

【피 고】 중앙노동위원회위원장

【피고보조참가인, 상고인】 한국마사회 (소송대리인 법무법인(유한) 태평양 담당변호사 이정한)

【원심판결】 서울고법 2012. 4. 5. 선고 2011누34391 판결

【주 문】

상고를 모두 기각한다. 상고비용은 피고 보조참가인이 부담한다.

【이 유】 상고이유를 판단한다.

1. 상고이유 제1점에 관하여

「구 파견근로자보호 등에 관한 법률」(2006. 12. 21. 법률 제8076호로 개정되기 전의 것, 이하 ‘구 파견법’이라 하고, 개정된 파견근로자보호 등에 관한 법률을 ‘개정 파견법’이라 한다)은 제6조 제3항 본문으로 “사용사업주가 2년을 초과하여 계속적으로 파견근로자를 사용하는 경우에는 2년의 기간이 만료된 날의 다음 날부터 파견근로자를 고용한 것으로 본다.”라는 내용의 규정(이하 ‘직접고용간주 규정’이라 한다)을 두고 있는데, 이는 근로자파견이 있고 그 근로자파견이 2년을 초과하여 계속되는 경우에는 곧바로 사용사업주와 파견근로자 사이에 직접고용관계가 성립한다는 의미로서, 이때 그 근로관계는 특별한 사정이 없는 한 기한의 정함이 없는 것으로 보아야 한다(대법원 2008. 9. 18. 선고 2007두22320 전원합의체 판결 등 참조).

그리고 구 파견법은 제1조에서 파견근로자의 근로조건 등에 관한 기준을 확립함으로써 파견근로자의 고용안정과 복지증진에 이바지함을 그 입법 목적으로 밝히고 있으므로, 파견근로자의 근로조건도 고용안정 못지않게 중요하다고 볼 수 있는 점, 구 파견법 제21조는 파견근로자가 사용사업주의 사업 내 동일한 업무를 수행하는 동종근로자와 비교하여 차별적 처우를 받아서는 안 된다는 점을 규정하고 있을 뿐만 아니라, 사용사업주와 직접고용관계를 형성하게 된 파견근로자를 사용사업주의 동종 또는 유사업무 수행 근로자와 균등하게 대우하는 것이 공평의 관념에도 합치되는 점, 개정된 파견법 제6조의2 제3항 제1호도 사용사업주가 2년을 초과하여 계속적으로 파견근로자를 사용함으로써 해당 파견근로자를 직접 고용하여야 할 경우의 근로조건에 관하여 ‘사용사업주의 근로자 중 해당 파견근로자와 동종 또는 유사업무를 수행하는 근로자가 있는 경우 그 근로자에게 적용되는 취업규칙 등에서 정하는 근로조건’에 의하도록 규정하고 있는 점 등을 종합하여 보면, 직접고용간주 규정에 따라 사용사업주가 직접 고용한 것으로 간주되는 파견근로자의 근로조건은 사용사업주의 근로자 중 해당 파견근로자와 동종 또는 유사업무를 수행하는 근로자가 있을 경우 그 근로자에게 적용되는 취업규칙 등에서 정한 근로조건과 동일하다고 보는 것이 타당하다.

이러한 법리와 기록에 비추어 살펴보면, 원심이 같은 취지에서 직접고용간주 규정에 따라 고용이 의제될 경우에 사용사업주의 근로자 중 당해 파견근로자와 동종 또는 유사업무를 수행하는 근로자가 있으면 그 근로자에게 적용되는 취업규칙 등에서 정하는 근로조건이 파견근로자에게도 적용된다고 판단한 것은 정당한 것으로 수긍할 수 있고, 거기에 상고이유 주장과 같이 직접고용간주 규정의 적용으로 인한 근로조건에 관한 법리를 오해한 잘못이 없다.

2. 상고이유 제2점 내지 제4점에 관하여

원심판결 이유 및 원심이 일부 인용한 제1심판결 이유에 의하면, 원심은 그 판시와 같은 사실들을 인정한 다음, 원고들이 피고 보조참가인의 기능직 직원과 동일한 업무를 수행하였다고는 볼 수 없지만, 실질적으로 그 수행업무의 대부분이 기능직 직원의 업무와 중복되는 것이었음에 비추어 적어도 기능직 직원과 유사한 업무를 수행하였다고 볼 수 있고, 따라서 피고 보조참가인의 기능직 직원에게 적용되는 근로조건이 원고들에게도 적용된다고 판단하였고, 나아가 피고 보조참가인이 원고들을 대상으로 한 2010. 2. 24.자 인사발령(이하 ‘이 사건 인사발령’이라 한다)의 정당성에 관하여, 그 판시와 같은 사정들을 들어, 이 사건 인사발령은 원고들에게 적합한 근로조건을 부여하지 않았거나 원고들과 피고 보조참가인 사이에 성립된 근로관계의 내용을 변경하는 것이어서 부당하다고 판단하였다.

원심판결 이유를 기록에 비추어 살펴보면, 원심의 위와 같은 판단은 수긍할 수 있고, 거기에 논리와 경험의 법칙에 반하여 자유심증주의의 한계를 벗어나거나 근로조건, 인사발령의 합리성에 관한 법리를 오해하는 등의 잘못이 없다.

3. 결론

그러므로 상고를 모두 기각하고, 상고비용은 패소자가 부담하기로 하여, 관여 대법관의 일치된 의견으로 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 이인복(재판장) 김소영 이기택(주심)

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