Three out of 10 large businesses in South Korea are voicing worries over the possibility of worsening relations with labor unions next year due in part to the ongoing controversy over the government-led labor reform drive, a poll showed Tuesday.

In a survey conducted by the Korea Employers Federation of its 304 member companies, 67.1 percent of respondents expected labor-management relations to destabilize further next year.

Of those polled, 46.2 percent cited the ongoing controversy over the government’s labor reform drive, which has been pending in the National Assembly.

In September, labor, management and the government reached a landmark deal to ease labor restrictions and allow companies to dismiss workers who are either negligent or underperforming, which is criticized by some for making it easy for businesses to fire their workers.

Major businesses also worried that their annual wage talks with labor unions for next year will start later, and the period of talks would also likely be prolonged.

Nearly 65 percent of those surveyed said that their annual wage talks will likely last for an average of 3-4 months next year, with 33 percent saying that labor unions’ demands for pay raises and other working conditions will be concentrated after July. (Yonhap)