Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 92누13035

Revocation of Reexamined Ruling on Remedy for Unfair Labor Practice (부당노동행위구제재심판정취소)부당노동행위구제재심판정취소

Decided1993. 01. 15. 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.

This case involved a labor union executive who was dismissed after being sentenced to one year in prison for obstruction of business (업무방해) during a labor dispute. The Korean Supreme Court held that the company's dismissal did not constitute an unfair labor practice (부당노동행위). While disciplinary provisions in a collective bargaining agreement (단체협약) take precedence over the rules of employment (취업규칙) when they conflict, they are not the exclusive basis for discipline, and the term 'business/work' (업무) in the collective agreement refers only to company business, not union activities.

Key takeaways
  • CaseA labor union executive was dismissed by the company after being sentenced to one year in prison for obstruction of business during a labor dispute.
  • OutcomeThe court ruled that since 'business' under the collective bargaining agreement referred only to company operations, the criminal punishment stemming from union activities was unrelated to company duties, and therefore the dismissal was valid.
  • LessonEven where a collective bargaining agreement contains disciplinary clauses, employers may still rely on other grounds such as the rules of employment for discipline, and criminal punishment arising from union activities can constitute valid grounds for dismissal.
Issues
  • The scope and effect of disciplinary provisions set forth in a collective bargaining agreement (단체협약)
  • Whether the term 'business' (업무) under a collective bargaining agreement includes union activities
  • The effect of procedural violations in disciplinary proceedings on the determination of unfair labor practice (부당노동행위)
Key reasoning

The Court reasoned that although disciplinary clauses in a collective bargaining agreement apply preferentially over conflicting provisions in the rules of employment, they do not serve as the sole legal basis for disciplinary action—employers may also rely on other grounds such as the rules of employment. The Court further interpreted the term 'business' or 'duties' (업무) under the collective agreement to mean only the company's own business operations, excluding union activities. Therefore, criminal punishment arising from union activities (such as obstruction of business during a strike) was considered an incident unrelated to the employee's 'company duties' under the agreement, making dismissal permissible. The Court also held that a mere procedural defect in the disciplinary process is not, by itself, sufficient to establish an unfair labor practice; rather, unfair labor practice must be determined based on a comprehensive assessment of all circumstances.

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

[1] The provision of Article 19 (Penal Provisions) of the collective agreement (단체협약) stating that "disciplinary action by the Company against union members shall be governed by this Agreement" means that, where the provisions of the collective agreement and those of the rules of employment (취업규칙) or other regulations conflict with each other regarding the same grounds for discipline or disciplinary procedure, the collective agreement shall take precedence in its application; it does not mean that, in disciplining an employee who is a member of the labor union, the provisions of the rules of employment or other regulations setting forth matters concerning discipline can under no circumstances serve as an independent basis for discipline.

[2] The purpose of the collective agreement's provision designating, as one of the grounds for dismissal of a union member, a case where a final sentence of imprisonment of six months or more has been rendered for a criminal act as an infamous offender arising from matters other than "duties," should be understood as follows: unlike a case where a person has been criminally punished as a result of performing the Company's business, in the case of a union member who has been convicted in a criminal case unrelated to the Company and arising from matters other than duties, such conviction is to be treated as a ground for dismissal only where the content of the judgment is "a sentence of imprisonment of six months or more," thereby setting stricter requirements for dismissal of a union member punished for a criminal matter unrelated to duties than for one punished for a criminal matter related to the performance of the Company's business. Accordingly, the term "duties" as used in the above provision should be construed to mean the Company's duties, and should not be interpreted to include the duties of the labor union.

[3] Whether the dismissal of an employee constitutes an unfair labor practice must be determined comprehensively by comparing and examining the grounds for dismissal asserted by the employer, the content of the legitimate acts performed by the employee for the labor union's affairs, the timing of the disciplinary dismissal, the relationship between the employer and the labor union, and other circumstances from which the existence of an intent to commit an unfair labor practice may be inferred. Therefore, although circumstances such as a violation of the procedures prescribed in the collective agreement in the disciplinary process may serve as one piece of evidence in determining the employer's intent to commit an unfair labor practice, whether such violation of disciplinary procedure constitutes a ground for invalidating the dismissal is a separate matter, and it does not necessarily constitute a decisive factor affecting the establishment of an unfair labor practice.

Full text (English, AI translation) 6,704 chars

[Plaintiff, Appellant] Plaintiff, Counsel Yoon Jong-hyun and 3 others
[Defendant, Appellee] Chairman of the National Labor Relations Commission (중앙노동위원회)
[Intervenor for the Defendant] Now Precision Co., Ltd. (나우정밀주식회사), Counsel Yoon Gyu-han
[Lower Court Judgment] Seoul High Court, Judgment rendered July 9, 1992, Case No. 91Gu27534

[Order]

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

[Reasoning]

The grounds of appeal are examined as follows.

As to Ground 1
Article 19 (Penal Provisions) of the collective bargaining agreement (단체협약) concluded between the Intervenor company and the labor union organized by its employees provides that "disciplinary action by the company against union members shall be governed by this Agreement." This provision means that, where the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement and those of the rules of employment (취업규칙), etc., conflict with each other regarding the same grounds for disciplinary action or the same disciplinary procedure, the collective bargaining agreement shall take precedence. It does not mean that, in disciplining an employee who is a union member, the provisions of the rules of employment, etc., concerning disciplinary matters can never independently serve as grounds for disciplinary action under any circumstances. Therefore, it cannot be said, based on the above Article 19 of the collective bargaining agreement, that a union member may not be dismissed on grounds for dismissal set forth in the disciplinary rules other than the grounds for dismissal specified in the collective bargaining agreement. The court below's determination that the Plaintiff's acts of illegal industrial action, obstruction of business, and refusal to leave the premises, as found in the judgment, also fall under some of the grounds for disciplinary dismissal set forth in Article 6 of the Disciplinary Rules, is justified, and there is no error of law in misinterpreting Article 19 of the above collective bargaining agreement or misunderstanding the legal principles concerning the grounds for dismissal. This argument is without merit.

As to Ground 2
While the Intervenor company's Disciplinary Rules, which constitute part of the rules of employment, provide as grounds for dismissal of an employee: being subject to criminal prosecution due to an illegal or wrongful act (Article 6, Item 9); receiving a punishment of a fine or heavier due to an internal labor-management issue (Article 6, Item 18); and being convicted of violating the Criminal Act (형법) or other statutes (Article 6, Item 21), the collective bargaining agreement concluded with the labor union separately provides, as one of the grounds for dismissal of a union member, the case of a person whose sentence of actual imprisonment of six months or more for a criminal offense involving moral turpitude arising from matters unrelated to work has become final (Article 27, Item 4 of the collective bargaining agreement). The purpose of this provision must be understood as follows: unlike cases where criminal punishment results from the performance of company duties, in the case of a union member convicted of a criminal offense unrelated to work and having no connection with the company, dismissal is to be grounded only where the content of the judgment is "actual imprisonment of six months or more," thereby setting stricter requirements for dismissal of a union member punished for an offense unrelated to work than the requirements for dismissal of a person punished for a criminal matter related to the performance of company duties. Therefore, the term "work" as used in Article 27, Item 4 of the above collective bargaining agreement must be construed to mean the company's work, and the affairs of the labor union are not to be included therein. The court below's determination to the same effect is justified, and there is no error of law in misinterpreting Article 27, Item 4 of the above collective bargaining agreement. If, as the argument contends, the Plaintiff's sentence of one year's imprisonment for the acts found in the judgment of the court below were determined to fall under a case of sentencing to one year's imprisonment for an act performed in the course of company duties, the Plaintiff would instead be placed in a position of bearing a heavier disciplinary responsibility. This argument is without merit.

As to Grounds 3 and 4
Where an employer, in dismissing an employee, is found to have actually dismissed the employee on the substantial ground of the employee's legitimate activities for labor union affairs, while ostensibly citing other grounds for dismissal, whether this constitutes an unfair labor practice (부당노동행위) must be determined comprehensively by comparatively examining the grounds for dismissal asserted by the employer, the content of the employee's legitimate activities for labor union affairs, the timing of the disciplinary dismissal, the relationship between the employer and the labor union, and other circumstances from which the existence of an intent to commit an unfair labor practice may be inferred. Even if circumstances such as a violation of the disciplinary procedure prescribed in the collective bargaining agreement may serve as one piece of evidence in determining the employer's intent to commit an unfair labor practice, whether such violation of disciplinary procedure constitutes a ground for invalidating the dismissal is a separate matter, and it does not necessarily constitute a decisive factor affecting the establishment of an unfair labor practice (see this Court's Judgments 90Nu2116, rendered December 26, 1990; 91Nu9572, rendered February 28, 1992, etc.). According to the record, even though the Intervenor company did not go through the consultation procedure prescribed in the collective bargaining agreement in dismissing the Plaintiff, there is no evidence to show that the Intervenor company, out of aversion to the Plaintiff's legitimate labor union activities and as a means of excluding the Plaintiff therefrom, proceeded with this dismissal by ostensibly citing the grounds for dismissal found in the judgment below. Therefore, it cannot be said that the judgment below erred in misinterpreting Article 13, Item 4 of the above collective bargaining agreement or in misunderstanding the legal principles concerning unfair labor practices.

Therefore, the Justices involved unanimously agree to dismiss the appeal and to have the costs of the appeal borne by the Plaintiff, who lost the case, and render judgment as stated in the Order.

Justice Kim Sang-won (Presiding Justice), Park Woo-dong, Yoon Young-cheol, Park Man-ho (Justice in Charge)

【판결요지】

가. 단체협약 제19조(벌칙)가 "조합원에 대한 회사측 징계는 본 협약에 의한다"고 규정한 것은 동일한 징계사유나 징계절차에 관하여 단체협약상의 규정과 취업규칙 등의 규정이 상호 저촉될 경우에는 단체협약이 우선 적용된다는 취지이고, 노동조합의 조합원인 종업원에 대한 징계를 함에 있어서는 어떠한 경우라 하더라도 징계에 관한 사항을 정한 취업규칙 등의 규정이 독자적인 징계의 근거규정이 될 수 없다는 취지를 밝힌 것은 아니다.

나. 단체협약에서 ‘업무’ 이외의 사건으로 형사상 파렴치범으로 6개월 이상의 실형이 확정된 자를 조합원에 대한 해고사유의 하나로 규정한 취지는 회사의 업무수행으로 인하여 형사처벌을 받은 경우와는 달리 회사와 관계없는 업무 외의 형사사건으로 유죄판결을 받은 조합원의 경우에는 그 판결의 내용이 "6개월 이상의 실형"인 경우에만 해고사유로 삼아 업무 외의 사건으로 인하여 형사처벌을 받은 조합원에 대한 해고요건을 회사의 업무수행과 관련된 형사사건으로 처벌받은 자에 대한 해고요건보다 더 엄격하게 설정하려는 데 있다고 보아야 할 것이므로, 위 조항에서 말하는 ‘업무’는 바로 회사의 업무를 뜻하고 노동조합의 업무는 이에 포함되지 않는 것으로 새겨야 할 것이다.

다. 근로자의 해고가 부당노동행위에 해당되는지의 여부는 사용자측이 내세우는 해고사유와 근로자가 한 노동조합업무를 위한 정당한 행위의 내용, 징계해고를 한 시기, 사용자와 노동조합과의 관계, 기타 부당노동행위의사의 존재를 추정할 수 있는 제반 사정을 비교 검토하여 종합적으로 판단하여야 하는 것이어서 징계절차가 단체협약에 정하여진 규정에 위반되었다는 등의 사정이 사용자의 부당노동행위의사를 판단하는 하나의 자료가 될 수는 있다 하더라도 그 징계절차위반의 점이 해고무효사유가 되는지 여부는 별론으로 하고 부당노동행위의 성립에 당연히 영향을 미치는 결정적인 요소가 되는 것은 아니다.

【참조조문】

가.나.다. 근로기준법 제94조 / 다. 노동조합법 제39조 제1호

【참조판례】

다. 대법원 1990. 12. 26. 선고 90누2116 판결(공1991,651), 1991. 4. 23. 선고 90누7685 판결(공1991,1518), 1992. 2. 28. 선고 91누9572 판결(공1992,1190)

【주문】·【이유】 전문 2,319자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고, 상고인】 원고 소송대리인 변호사 윤종현 외 3인

【피고, 피상고인】 중앙노동위원회 위원장

【피고보조참가인】 나우정밀주식회사 소송대리인 변호사 윤규한

【원심판결】 서울고등법원 1992. 7. 9. 선고 91구27534 판결

【주 문】

상고를 기각한다.

상고비용은 원고의 부담으로 한다.

【이 유】 상고이유를 판단한다.

제1점에 대하여

참가인 회사와 그 소속 근로자들로 조직된 노동조합 사이에 체결된 단체협약 제19조(벌칙)가 "조합원에 대한 회사측 징계는 본 협약에 의한다"고 규정한 것은 동일한 징계사유나 징계절차에 관하여 단체협약상의 규정과 취업규칙 등의 규정이 상호 저촉될 경우에는 단체협약이 우선 적용된다는 취지이고, 노동조합의 조합원인 종업원에 대한 징계를 함에 있어서는 어떠한 경우라 하더라도 징계에 관한 사항을 정한 취업규칙 등의 규정이 독자적인 징계의 근거규정이 될 수 없다는 취지를 밝힌 것은 아니라고 할 것이므로 위 단체협약 제19조를 들어 단체협약에 규정된 해고사유 외에 징계규정에 정하여진 해고사유가 있음을 이유로 조합원을 해고할 수 없다고 할 수는 없는 것이다. 원심이 원고의 판시와 같은 불법 쟁의행위, 업무방해, 퇴거불응 등의 각 행위가 징계규정 제6조 소정의 일부 징계해고사유에도 해당된다고 판단한 것은 정당하고, 거기에 위 단체협약 제19조의 해석을 잘못하여 해고의 근거규정에 관한 법리를 오해한 위법은 없다. 논지는 이유 없다.

제2점에 대하여

참가인 회사가 취업규칙의 일부분에 해당하는 징계규정에서 불법, 부정한 행위로 인하여 형사소추를 받은 경우(제6조 제9호), 사내 노사문제로 인하여 벌금형 이상의 형을 받은 경우(제6조 제18호), 형법 또는 기타 법령에 위반하여 유죄판결을 받은 경우(제6조 제21호)를 종업원에 대한 해고사유로 규정하고 있으면서 노동조합과의 단체협약 체결시에 업무이외의 사건으로 형사상 파렴치범으로 6개월 이상의 실형이 확정된 자(단체협약 제27조 제4호)를 조합원에 대한 해고사유의 하나로 규정한 취지는 회사의 업무수행으로 인하여 형사처벌을 받은 경우와는 달리 회사와 관계없는 업무외의 형사사건으로 유죄판결을 받은 조합원의 경우에는 그 판결의 내용이 "6개월 이상의 실형"인 경우에만 해고사유로 삼아 업무 외의 사건으로 인하여 형사처벌을 받은 조합원에 대한 해고요건을 회사의 업무수행과 관련된 형사사건으로 처벌받은 자에 대한 해고요건 보다 더 엄격하게 설정하려는데 있다고 보아야 할 것이므로 위 단체협약 제27조 제4호에서 말하는 업무는 바로 회사의 업무를 뜻하고, 노동조합의 업무는 이에 포함되지 않는 것으로 새겨야 할 것이다. 위와 같은 취지의 원심판단은 정당하고, 거기에 위 단체협약 제27조 제4호의 해석을 잘못한 위법은 없다. 만일 논지가 내세우는 바와 같이 원고가 원심판시의 각 행위로 징역 1년을 선고받은 것이 결국 회사의 업무수행상의 행위로 징역 1년을 선고받은 경우에 해당하는 것으로 판단된다면 원고는 도리어 더 무거운 징계책임을 부담하는 처지에 놓이게 될 것이다. 논지는 이유 없다.

제3, 4점에 대하여

사용자가 근로자를 해고함에 있어서 근로자의 노동조합업무를 위한 정당한 행위를 그 실질적 이유로 삼았으면서도 표면적으로는 다른 해고사유를 들어 해고한 것으로 인정되어 그것이 부당노동행위에 해당되는지의 여부는 사용자측이 내세우는 해고사유와 근로자가 한 노동조합업무를 위한 정당한 행위의 내용, 징계해고를 한 시기, 사용자와 노동조합과의 관계, 기타 부당노동행위의사의 존재를 추정할 수 있는 제반 사정을 비교 검토하여 종합적으로 판단하여야 하는 것이어서 징계절차가 단체협약에 정하여진 규정에 위반되었다는 등의 사정이 사용자의 부당노동행위 의사를 판단하는 하나의 자료가 될 수는 있다 하더라도 그 징계절차 위반의 점이 해고무효사유가 되는지의 여부는 별론으로 하고 부당노동행위의 성립에 당연히 영향을 미치는 결정적인 요소가 되는 것은 아니라 할 것인바(당원 1990.12.26. 선고 90누2116 판결; 1992.2.28. 선고 91누9572 판결 등 참조), 기록에 의하면, 참가인 회사가 원고를 해고함에 있어 비록 단체협약상의 협의를 거친 바 없다 하더라도 원고의 정당한 노동조합활동을 혐오하고 이로부터 원고를 배제하기 위한 방편으로 원심판시와 같은 해고사유를 표면적인 이유로 내세워 이 사건 해고에 나아간 것으로 볼만한 증거는 없으므로 원심판결에 위 단체협약 제13조 제4호의 해석을 그르쳤다거나 부당노동행위에 관한 법리를 오해한 위법이 있다고 할 수도 없다.

그러므로 상고를 기각하고 상고비용은 패소한 원고의 부담으로 하기로 관여 법관의 의견이 일치되어 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 김상원(재판장) 박우동 윤영철 박만호(주심)

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94누11583 · 대법원 1995-04-28
Revocation of Reexamination Ruling on Remedy for Unfair Labo
94누5069 · 대법원 1995-02-14
Revocation of Reexamination Decision on Unfair Dismissal Rel
93다62126 · 대법원 1994-06-14
Action to Confirm Invalidity of Dismissal, etc.
93다26151 · 대법원 1994-06-14
Confirmation of Invalidity of Dismissal, etc.
93누20115 · 대법원 1994-06-14
Revocation of Retrial Decision on Remedy for Unfair Labor Pr

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Cross-check the original: 국가법령정보센터 (auxiliary link)