Workbear재주넘는곰
대법원 91누10480

Revocation of Reexamination Ruling on Unfair Labor Practice Remedy (부당노동행위구제재심판정취소)부당노동행위구제재심판정취소

Decided1992. 05. 08. 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.

A company and its labor union entered into a mutual release agreement (면책약정) to withdraw civil and criminal complaints against each other. When the union later breached this agreement by engaging in illegal collective action, the company rescinded the agreement and dismissed the workers through unilateral dismissal (직권해고). The Supreme Court held that the dismissal was justified.

Key takeaways
  • CaseThe company and union signed a mutual release agreement, but the union breached it by engaging in illegal collective action, leading the company to rescind the agreement and dismiss union members.
  • OutcomeThe court ruled that the company's rescission of the agreement due to the union's breach was valid, and the resulting unilateral dismissal was also lawful.
  • LessonMutual release agreements (면책약정) between labor and management must be faithfully performed by both sides; if one party breaches the agreement, the other party may rescind it and exercise its original legal rights.
Issues
  • Whether rescission of the release agreement (면책약정) based on the union's breach was lawful
  • Whether the procedure for unilateral dismissal (직권해고) was proper
  • Whether the dismissal constituted an unfair labor practice (부당노동행위)
Key reasoning

The union had promised as part of the release agreement not to disrupt normal business operations. By engaging in illegal collective action in violation of this promise, the union breached the release agreement. Because of this breach, the company was entitled to rescind the agreement under general contract principles. Once the agreement was rescinded, its effect of releasing the parties from liability was nullified, meaning the company's original right to dismiss under the collective bargaining agreement (단체협약) was restored. Therefore, the company's unilateral dismissal of the workers based on this restored right was lawful and did not constitute an unfair labor practice (부당노동행위).

Summary of Decision (English, AI translation)

This is a case holding that where a labor union and a company entered into an agreement and a memorandum of agreement providing that civil and criminal matters arising during the wage negotiation period would each be withdrawn by labor and management, and that the company would reinstate to their former positions, immediately upon their release, employees who had been indicted even if they were sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier punishment, and where, at the same time, the labor union apologized to the company for having caused enormous damage through illegal collective actions and pledged not to engage in illegal collective actions obstructing normal operations in the future, but thereafter, when the company placed a union member who had been detained on a leave of absence, the union members, in protest, collectively submitted holiday leave requests and were absent from work for two days, causing the plant's operations to be completely suspended, and also held an extraordinary general meeting, thereby suspending plant operations, the court held that the union members' commission of such illegal collective actions constituted a breach of the above agreement, and therefore the company could rescind the agreement on that ground, and that, as a result of such rescission, the above exemption-from-liability agreement became null and void.

Full text (English, AI translation) 8,877 chars

[Plaintiffs, Appellants]

[Defendant, Appellee] Chairman of the National Labor Relations Commission
[Intervenor Assisting the Defendant] Shinpoong Paper Co., Ltd., Attorney Kim Yong-cheol, Counsel
[Judgment Below] Seoul High Court, Decision of August 23, 1991, Case No. 90Gu11037

[Order]

The appeals are all dismissed.
The costs of the appeal shall be borne by the Plaintiffs.

[Reasoning]

The grounds of appeal are examined.

According to the reasoning of the judgment below, the court below found the following facts based on the evidence presented: the Plaintiffs were employees of the Intervenor Assisting the Defendant company (hereinafter referred to as "the Intervenor Company"); Plaintiff 1 was the chairman of the labor union of the Intervenor Company, and Plaintiff 2 was a union member. During the wage negotiation process between the Intervenor Company and the labor union concerning the 1989 wage increase, from around March 6, 1989 to around early May of the same year, Plaintiff 1 was detained on May 6 of the same year and indicted for violation of the Labor Dispute Adjustment Act (노동쟁의조정법) and other charges, and Plaintiff 2 was also indicted for the same charges without detention. When Plaintiff 1 was detained, the vice-chairman, a non-party (hereinafter "the Non-party"), became the acting chairman of the union, and on May 25 of the same year, concluded an agreement and a memorandum of agreement (Exhibit A No. 2-1, 2) with the Intervenor Company, which contained provisions regarding matters such as basic pay and other wages, as well as an agreement that both labor and management would withdraw all civil and criminal matters arising between the labor union and the Intervenor Company during the wage negotiation period, that the Intervenor Company would make efforts to ensure that the accused employees, including the Plaintiffs, would not suffer any legal disadvantages, and that even if they were sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty, they would be reinstated to their original positions upon release. At the same time, the labor union apologized to the Intervenor Company for the enormous damage caused by its illegal collective actions during that period and pledged not to engage in illegal collective actions obstructing normal operations in the future (Exhibit B No. 1). Accordingly, the Intervenor Company withdrew all civil and criminal lawsuits, applications, complaints, and accusations against the Plaintiffs, and Plaintiff 1 also withdrew his complaint against the representative director of the Intervenor Company. Thereafter, on August 11 of the same year, the Suwon District Court sentenced Plaintiff 1 to one year of imprisonment for obstruction of business and other charges, and sentenced Plaintiff 2 to ten months of imprisonment, suspended for two years, for obstruction of business and other charges; the sentence against Plaintiff 2 became final, and he was reinstated to his original position at the Intervenor Company around that time. Upon the sentencing of Plaintiff 1 as above, the Intervenor Company, pursuant to Article 23, Paragraph 3 of the collective agreement, which provides that a leave of absence may be ordered during the period a union member is detained, ordered Plaintiff 1 to take a leave of absence as of August 11 of the same year. In response, the union members resolved to intensify their struggle to have the leave-of-absence measure against Plaintiff 1 rescinded, and on September 9 and 10 of the same year, the anniversary of the founding of the Intervenor Company, they collectively submitted holiday leave requests and were absent from work, causing a complete halt in factory operations. Furthermore, on September 30 of the same year, at an extraordinary general meeting held to elect a chairman, with Plaintiff 1 and the aforementioned Non-party as candidates, the Non-party was elected chairman, and in the process, factory operations were halted for seven hours. On October 17 of the same year, the Intervenor Company notified the labor union that the halting of factory operations on September 9, 10, and 30 of that year as described above constituted a violation of the pledge, made at the time of the May 25, 1989 memorandum of agreement, not to obstruct normal operations, and that therefore the exemption agreement—under which the application of Article 16, Paragraph 4 of the collective agreement would be withheld and the Plaintiffs would be reinstated to their original positions even if sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty, as stipulated in the aforementioned agreement and memorandum of agreement—had become void. Subsequently, on the 20th and 24th of the same month, the Intervenor Company convened a personnel committee and resolved to dismiss the Plaintiffs pursuant to Article 16, Paragraph 4 of the collective agreement (concerning persons sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty), which stipulates grounds for dismissal, and on the 26th of the same month, when the Suwon District Court, in the appellate trial, sentenced Plaintiff 1 to one year of imprisonment, suspended for two years, the Intervenor Company dismissed Plaintiff 1 pursuant to Article 16, Paragraph 4 of the collective agreement. Having found these facts, the court below determined that, since the labor union had pledged not to engage in illegal collective actions obstructing the normal operations of the Intervenor Company and had thereby entered into the exemption agreement of May 25, 1989, but thereafter the union members engaged in the illegal industrial actions described above on September 9, 10, and 30 of the same year, and the Intervenor Company rescinded the agreement on the ground of this breach, the agreement was lawfully rendered void; and that even if the agreement had not been rescinded, it would be reasonable to hold that, under the principle of good faith, the Intervenor Company could likewise deny the effect of the portion of the agreement providing that the application of Article 16, Paragraph 4 of the collective agreement would be withheld and that the Plaintiffs would be reinstated to their original positions even if sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty; and therefore the Intervenor Company was entitled to dismiss the Plaintiffs ex officio pursuant to Article 16, Paragraph 4 of the collective agreement, such that the dismissal in this case was lawful, and it could not be found that the dismissal was carried out due to hostility toward the Plaintiffs' legitimate labor union activities or with the intent to destroy the labor union. On these grounds, the court below dismissed the Plaintiffs' claim seeking revocation of the Defendant's retrial decision, which had dismissed the Plaintiffs' application for remedy against unfair labor practices.

Upon examining the process by which the court below weighed the evidence, based on the record, the above factual findings of the court below are acceptable, and it cannot be said that the court below committed any illegality of misapprehending the facts in violation of the rules of evidence, as argued in the grounds of appeal. In light of the above findings, the letter of apology (Exhibit B No. 1) referred to in the grounds of appeal may be regarded, together with the agreement and memorandum of agreement dated May 25, 1989 (Exhibit A No. 2-1, 2), as forming part of the content of the agreement; therefore, the subsequent illegal collective actions committed by the union members, as found by the court below, constituted a breach of the said agreement, and accordingly the Intervenor Company was entitled to rescind the agreement on this ground, and by such rescission, the exemption agreement became void. Accordingly, the Intervenor Company was entitled, pursuant to Article 16, Paragraph 4 of the collective agreement, to dismiss ex officio the Plaintiffs, who had been sentenced to imprisonment or a heavier penalty. The judgment of the court below to the same effect is justified, and the argument that the court below erred in misjudging the nature of the letter of apology or the memorandum of agreement is without merit.

Furthermore, since the dismissal in this case is an ex officio dismissal pursuant to Article 16, Paragraph 4 of the collective agreement, and not a disciplinary dismissal as argued in the grounds of appeal, there was no need to follow the procedures for disciplinary dismissal; therefore, the argument that the dismissal in this case is unlawful for failure to follow the procedures for disciplinary dismissal is also without merit.

Accordingly, all the appeals are dismissed, and the costs of the appeal are to be borne by the losing parties, in accordance with the unanimous opinion of the participating Justices, and it is decided as stated in the Order.

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

【판결요지】

노동조합과 회사 사이에 임금교섭기간 중 생겨난 민, 형사상의 문제는 노사가 각 취하하고 회사는 고소된 근로자들이 금고 이상의 형을 선고받더라도 석방과 동시에 원직에 복귀시키기로 한다는 내용의 합의서 및 합의각서에 의한 약정을 체결하였으며, 이와 동시에 노동조합은 회사에 그 동안의 불법적인 단체행동으로 막대한 손해를 끼친 점을 사과하고 앞으로는 정상조업을 방해하는 비합법적인 단체행동을 하지 않을 것을 확약하였으나 그 후 노동조합원들이 회사로부터 구속된 조합원에 대하여 휴직처분이 내려진 데에 반발하며 이틀에 걸쳐 집단적으로 휴일계를 제출하고 결근함으로써 공장가동이 전면적으로 중단되었고 또 임시총회를 개최하며 공장가동을 중단시켰다면 노동조합원들이 위와 같은 비합법적인 단체행동을 저지른 것은 위 약정을 위반한 것이라고 할 수 있으므로 회사로서는 이를 이유로 하여 위 약정을 해제할 수 있고 그 해제에 의하여 위 면책약정은 실효되는 것이라고 한 사례.

【참조조문】

근로기준법 제27조, 노동조합법 제34조

【주문】·【이유】 전문 2,859자 · 펼쳐 보기

【원고, 상고인】

【피고, 피상고인】 중앙노동위원회 위원장

【피고보조참가인】 신풍제지주식회사 소송대리인 변호사 김용철

【원심판결】 서울고등법원 1991.8.23. 선고 90구11037 판결

【주 문】

상고를 모두 기각한다.

상고비용은 원고들의 부담으로 한다.

【이 유】 상고이유를 본다.

원심판결 이유에 의하면 원심은 거시증거에 의하여, 원고들은 피고보조참가인회사(이하 참가인회사라 한다)의 근로자들로서 원고 1은 참가인회사노동조합의 조합장이고 원고 2는 조합원이었는데 1989.3.6.경부터 동년 5. 초순경까지 사이에 참가인회사와 노동조합사이에 1989년도 임금인상협상과정에서 노동쟁의조정법위반죄 등으로 원고 1은 동년 5.6. 구속되고, 원고 2는 불구속으로 각 기소된 사실, 원고 1이 구속되자 부위원장인 소외인이 조합장직무대행자가 되어 동년 5.25. 참가인회사와 사이에 기본급 등 임금에 관한 사항과 함께 임금교섭기간 중 생겨난 노동조합과 참가인회사 사이의 민, 형사상의 문제는 노사가 각 취하하고 참가인회사는 원고 등 고소된 근로자들이 각종 법적 불이익을 받지 않도록 노력하며 그들이 금고 이상의 형을 선고받더라도 석방과 동시에 원직에 복귀시키기로 한다는 내용의 합의서 및 합의각서(갑 제2호증의 1,2)에 의한 약정을 체결하였으며, 이와 동시에 노동조합은 참가인회사에 그 동안의 불법적인 단체행동으로 막대한 손해를 끼친 점을 사과하고 앞으로는 정상조업을 방해하는 비합법적인 단체행동을 하지 않을 것을 확약한 사실(을 제1호증), 이에 따라 참가인회사는 원고들에 대한 민·형사상의 소, 신청, 고소, 고발을 모두 취하하고, 원고 1도 참가인회사의 대표이사에 대한 고소를 취하한 사실, 그 후 동년 8.11. 수원지방법원에서 원고 1은 업무방해 등으로 징역 1년을, 원고 2는 업무방해 등으로 징역 10월에 2년 간 집행유예의 판결이 선고되었고 이 중 원고 2에 대한 형은 확정되었으며 동인은 그 무렵 참가인회사의 원직에 복귀된 사실, 참가인회사는 원고 1에 대한 위 형이 선고되자 조합원이 구속된 기간에는 휴직을 명할 수 있다고 규정된 단체협약 제23조 제3호에 의하여 동년 8.11.자로 휴직처분을 한 사실, 이에 노동조합의 조합원들은 원고 1에 대한 휴직조치철회투쟁을 강화하기로 결의하여 참가인회사창립기념일인 동년9.9. 및 10.에 집단적으로 휴일계를 제출하고 결근함으로써 공장가동이 전면적으로 중단되었으며, 동년 9.30.에는 임시총회를 개최하여 입후보자인 원고 1과 위 소외인을 대상으로 하여 위 소외인을 위원장으로 선출하는 과정에서 공장가동이 7시간 중단된 사실, 참가인회사는 동년 10.17. 노동조합에게 노동조합이 동년 9월 9, 10, 30.에 위와 같이 공장가동을 중단시킨 것은 위 1989.5.25.자 합의각서 당시의 정상조업을 방해하지 않겠다는 확약을 위배한 것이어서 위 합의서 및 합의각서상의 금고 이상의 형이 선고되더라도 단체협약 제16조 제4항의 적용을 유보하여 원고들을 원직에 복귀시키겠다는 면책약정은 무효가 되었음을 통보한 다음, 동월 20. 및 24. 인사위원회를 개최하여 원고들을 해고사유를 규정한 단체협약 제16조 제4항(금고 이상의 형을 받은 자)에 의하여 해고하기로 결의하였으며, 동월 26. 수원지방법원 항소심에서 원고 1이 징역 1년에 2년 간 집행유예의 형을 선고받자 동 원고를 단체협약 제16조 제4항에 의하여 해고처분한 사실 등을 인정한 다음, 노동조합이 참가인회사의 정상조업을 방해하는 불법적인 단체행동을 하지 않겠다는 확약을 하여 1989.5.25.의 면책약정을 한 것인데 그 이후 노동조합원들이 동년 9월 9, 10, 30.에 위와 같이 불법쟁의행위를 하였고 참가인회사가 위 약정위배를 이유로 해제하였으므로 적법히 실효되었고, 가사 위 약정이 해제되지 않았다 하더라도 신의성실의 원칙상 참가인회사도 단체협약 제16조 제4항의 적용을 유보하여 원고들에 대하여 금고 이상의 형이 선고되더라도 원직에 복귀시키기로 한 부분에 관한 합의의 효력을 부정할 수 있다고 봄이 상당하므로 원고들에 대하여 단체협약 제16조 제4항에 의하여 직권해고할 수 있다고 할 것이어서 이 건 해고처분은 정당하고 위 해고처분이 원고들의 정당한 노동조합활동을 혐오하거나 노동조합을 와해시키기 위하여 이루어진 것이라고 인정되지 않는다는 이유로 원고들의 부당노동행위구제신청을 기각한 피고의 재심판정의 취소를 구하는 원고들의 청구를 기각하는 판단을 하였다.

기록에 의하여 원심의 증거취사과정을 살펴보면 원심의 위 사실인정은 수긍이 가고 거기에 소론과 같이 채증법칙을 위배하여 사실을 오인한 위법을 저지른 것이라고 할 수 없다. 위 인정사실에 의하면 소론의 사과문(을 제1호증)은 1989.5.25.자의 합의서 및 합의각서(갑 제2호증의 1,2)와 함께 약정의 내용이 된 것으로 볼 수 있으므로 그 후에 노동조합원들의 판시와 같은 비합법적인 단체행동을 저지른 것은 위 약정을 위반한 것이라고 할 수 있으므로 참가인회사로는 이를 이유로 하여 위 약정을 해제할 수 있고, 그 해제에 의하여 위 면책약정은 실효되는 것이고, 따라서 참가인회사는 단체협약 제16조 제4항에 의하여 금고 이상의 형의 선고를 받은 원고들을 직권해고 할 수 있다 할 것이다. 같은 취지의 원심판단은 정당하고 원심이 위 사과문이나 합의각서의 성격을 잘못 판단한 위법이 있다는 논지는 이유 없다.

그리고 이 사건 해고는 단체협약 제16조 제4항에 따른 직권해고이고 소론과 같은 징계해고가 아니므로 징계해고의 절차를 거칠 필요는 없다 할 것이니 이 사건 해고에 있어 징계해고의 절차를 거치지 아니한 위법이 있다는 논지도 이유 없다.

이에 상고를 모두 기각하고 상고비용은 패소자들의 부담으로 하기로 관여 법관의 의견이 일치되어 주문과 같이 판결한다.

대법관 박만호(재판장) 박우동 김상원 윤영철

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Cross-check the original: 국가법령정보센터 (auxiliary link)