A parliamentary committee on Wednesday passed a pro-labor bill and another measure on providing cash handouts to the entire population. The Democratic Party (DP) and other opposition parties, which hold a majority of seats in the legislation and judiciary committee, unilaterally passed the two bills during the committee's plenary session. Lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) walked out of the meeting in protest. The cash handouts will range from 250,000 won (US$181) to 350,000 won. Dubbed the yellow envelope bill, the revision to the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act aims to limit companies from making claims for damages against legitimate labor union disputes. Last year, the National Assembly passed the bill, but President Yoon Suk Yeol vetoed it given strong opposition from business lobbies and the ruling party. The controversial bill traces back to 2009, when unionized workers of the carmaker SsangYong Motor Co. staged a high-profile strike to oppose a massive layoff. Five y ears later, the Supreme Court declared the strike illegal and ordered the workers to pay 4.7 billion won (US$3.6 million) in compensation to the company and the state. In response, civic activists and citizens have delivered yellow envelopes, each containing 47,000 won in donations, to support the SsangYong workers. This has raised the need to amend the trade union law in favor of striking workers, leading to the revision led by the opposition bloc. The two bills will be put to a vote at a plenary session of the Assembly on Thursday. Source: Yonhap News Agency