[News Space=Reporter seungwon lee] GS Retail has been approved to join the 'GS Retail Branch' of the National Labor Equality Labor Union under the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), and all three of the largest convenience store companies (Big 3) now have labor unions.

Currently, there are approximately 40 union members applying, and the organization movement is rapidly spreading, with 400 people joining an open KakaoTalk group promoting the union in just one day. This marks the first time GS Retail has launched a unified union since its merger with GS Home Shopping in 2021.

Background to the union's establishment: voluntary retirement, cost reduction, and on-site burden.

The main reasons for the establishment of the GS Retail union are analyzed to be a combination of factors: a series of voluntary retirements, the need to improve human resource efficiency and streamline the organization due to strengthening profitability-centered management, and the increased operational burden on stores and logistics sites.

Starting in 2025, GS Retail implemented a voluntary retirement program for employees aged 46 and older with at least 20 years of service. In addition to severance pay, the company reportedly paid a severance pay equivalent to approximately 1.5 years of annual salary. As a result, the number of employees decreased by approximately 300 as of the end of September this year compared to the end of last year, and the scale of the reduction is expected to increase further in the fourth quarter of this year.

Union organization status and staff size

As of the end of June 2025, GS Retail had 7,239 employees, including 5,930 full-time employees and 1,309 contract workers. With the union's establishment and the intensification of member recruitment, GS Retail is accelerating its organizational efforts, defying concerns that unionization would be difficult due to the nature of the franchise retail industry, which often involves remote work.

The trend of unionization in the convenience store industry

The establishment of a union at GS Retail comes amidst a slump in the convenience store industry and intensifying management pressure. BGF Retail (CU) and Korea Seven (7-Eleven) also established unions in 2024 and 2025, respectively, bringing the total number of unions among the top three convenience store chains to 100. The proliferation of unions in the convenience store industry is interpreted as a result of growing employee resistance to job insecurity and management pressure.

Company's position and industry outlook

GS Retail stated, "We respect our employees' independent decision-making and are gathering feedback through various communication channels." However, with the convenience store industry's slump continuing and profitability-focused policies intensifying, unionization efforts are expected to expand further.