Care workers nationwide have launched a coordinated push to bring government ministries they call their “real employers” to the bargaining table, citing a new labor law that expands the legal definition of an employer. They threatened to go on strike if their demands are not met. During a press conference at the office of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a powerful umbrella organization with more than 1 million members, the KCTU and affiliate unions said they have recently demanded that 57 ministries and public agencies hold talks with them as principal employers under the so-called “yellow envelope law” that came into force last week. Union leaders said most care workers — including elder-care aides, child care staff, disability support workers and home-care helpers — are formally hired by outsourced private facilities but effectively governed by state-set fees and guidelines, and that more than 2 million workers nationwide fall under this category, according to KCTU estimates. The government bodies they seek direct bargaining with include the Ministry of Hea