The nation’s two umbrella trade unions urged the government Monday to ensure workers’ right to strike during a news conference marking a global day of action organized by the International Trade Union Confederation in defense of the right.
The government has threatened to deal sternly with any illegal behavior after the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions vowed last week to launch a general strike in April in protest of the government’s efforts to restructure the labor market in a reportedly management-friendly way and to scale back its employees’ pension program.
“General strikes by labor unions are legitimate rights by workers and suitable for international standards, so the government should ensure the right to strike,” the KCTU, the more militant of the two umbrella unions, and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, said during a news conference in central Seoul.
The conference came two days ahead of “Right to Strike Action Day,” which falls on Feb. 18 every year.
“South Korea currently is driving labor unions to the brink with the Labor Relations Act that limits union activities and strike actions, the Supreme Court’s partial decisions and the labor ministry’s management-friendly interpretation and execution of laws,” Kim Dong-man, chairman of the FKTU said during the news conference.
“We’ll cement international solidarity so governments of the world, including South Korea, and employers can recognize workers’ rights,” he stressed. (Yonhap)
