Participation, Cooperation Indispensable

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``New labor-management culture'' means preparing for the upcoming 21st century, the age of a knowledge-based information society which is establishing a new labor-management community that nurtures the values of the future by realizing participation and cooperation based on trust, respect and modernization of old thoughts, practices and systems.

The new culture is designed to lay the foundation to boost national competitiveness and improve quality of life by providing a larger slice of the pie to every individual.

To achieve these ends, the government is committed to building up``labor infrastructure'' that promotes cooperation between labor and management.

It is urgently needed for workers to create a high performance work system through a labor movement based on workers' participation and commitment.

At the same time, employers must not only build an information-sharing system but also increase transparency in management.

For the development of the new labor-management culture, the government introduced a policy slogan ``CREATE 21,'' which stands for Cooperation, Responsibility, Esteem, Autonomy, Trust and Engagement.

The policy is aimed at establishing future-oriented, labor-management relations to create values.

Until last August, the government has taken the first step toward implementing CREATE 21. The government is developing the theory and the model for a new labor-management culture.

The next step will be focused on encouraging both workers and employers to actively participate in establishing the new labor-management culture.

The administration plans to adopt a labor-management agreement, announce a resolution for harmonious labor relations and apply …