By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
In two months at the latest, the nation's largest union, Hyundai Motor labor union, will go on a general strike alongside other Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) members should the government stick to its business-friendly policies, KCTU head Lim Sung-kyu said Thursday. The chances of such a strike are very high, he said.
"The talks between union leaders, management and the government are a mere stunt. The government needs a good excuse to justify their suppression of us, claiming that they have done their best. The talks will be crushed," Lim said.
In an interview with The Korea Times, Lim said he met the leader of the motor company union a few days ago to discuss the general strike and has shared positive understandings.
The consensus from the 45,000 member motor union is extremely important as it is the largest and the highest-paying branch of the Korea Metal Workers' Union, the largest unit of the KCTU. Whether Hyundai will join the general strike has drawn keen attention from the government, and industrial and labor fields.
For Hyundai, which has a newly-elected leader after ousting one who wanted to sever relations with the umbrella union, the strike will be a chance to show off its power and repair ties with fellow unionists.
The general strike would be first of its kind in 12 years and the KCTU leader said they are almost ready.
"We do need time to convince all members to participate. We are confident that within six to eight weeks, we will be fully ready," Lim said right before talks involving the two umbrella unions, the labor ministry, the Economic and Social Development Commission, the Korea Employers Federation and the Korea Chamber of Commerce were to commence.
The first round of the talks ended relatively amicably, with participants agreeing to make an agreement regarding changes by Nov.25.
The meeting came as the KCTU and its dovish partner the Federation of Korean Trade Unions announced last Wednesday they will join forces for a general strike against the government's attempt to abolish the wages of full-time unionists paid by employers and to allow only one negotiation channel for unions at a single workplace.
The two issues have been controversial since 1996, when lawmakers of the Democratic Liberty Party, now the Grand National Party, passed the law revision on Christmas night when no opposition lawmakers were in attendance.
The law subjects companies that pay full-time unionists to fines or other disciplinary measures. Lawmakers said employers shouldn't pay those who don't work for the company, and that the payment could be considered an unfair labor practice.
The law also allows workplaces to have multiple labor unions, but forces them to create a single negotiation channel with management.
"Restricting the channel will allow only powerful unions to negotiate with management. Those tamed by management are highly likely to be chosen at the table," Lim said. He claimed there are no countries that restrict such union activities and that the government needs to scrap the law, which was passed through an "unjustified process."
The implementation of the two laws was postponed after a 1997 strike with more than 3 million participants damaged the business industry.
However, the labor ministry has recently said the law will come into effect from next year. On Wednesday, a day before the talks, Labor Minister Lee Tae-hee affirmed that the laws will be pushed regardless of circumstance.
Considering the media and government are giving the cold shoulder to class actions by unionists these days, the strike may not be the best move for Lim, who is known to be prudent but aggressive.
"In the '80s and '90s, people considered us as pro-democracy activists and supported us. The new millennium has brought dramatic change to people's perception of the labor movement and rights of workers," he admitted.
"The strike will not be as threatening or drastic as it used to be. We are also planning to promote our goals by placing ads on buses and in the metros. We will take a systematic approach this time," Lim said.
But he was adamant on the basic measure.
"What we are doing is all or nothing. We do hope something dramatic will come to settle the anxiety but we all know that it is highly unlikely. The die is cast," Lim said.