Pernod Ricard Speaks About Threat Of Strike In South Korea

Pernod Ricard has defended its stance in advance of industrial to be taken by employees at its South Korea station, while a sales-team restructure in the country is anticipated to cause redundancies. A strike is planned for Thursday 26 June over an “early retirement plan” (ERP) proposed by the company, which would see nearly 30 employees leave the station, according to the Korea Times. Union leaders last week submitted a petition to South Korea's Ministry of Employment and Labour urging state intervention, it was reported.   “Reducing workforce is normally considered a last resort to save a financially-troubled company," Kim Guee-hyun, leader of the firm's labour union was reported as saying. "But, this is not the case. Pernod Ricard Korea is financially healthy enough.”    However, a Pernod spokesperson said: “The ERP application has been wholly voluntary. The company recommended employees to consider the application positively, but has not exerted any coercion to apply to ERP.”   Paul Tran, Pernod Ricard Korea's HR director, claimed the scheme is a "way for the company to deal with the stagnating human resources structure and to control its structure cost".    Pernod's Korean unit is restructuring its sales team so it “operates more efficiently in the changing market circumstances,” the spokesperson said. “As a result, some sales employees came to have no position in the new organisation,” the spokesperson said. “The company will duly consult the union and also the employees concerned to find out an appropriate solution for them.”