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| Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall is filled with unionized workers who joined a strike by the Korean Federation of Trade Unions, Friday. The workers plan to hold demonstrations across the country over the weekend. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Tens of thousands of workers start weekend protests
By Kim Se-jeong
Tens of thousands of unionized workers started a strike across the country Friday, demanding the government drop its bid to reform the labor market and pension program for public workers.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the nation's second-largest umbrella union, pressed ahead with its planned strike despite the government designating their strikes illegal.
The umbrella union claimed some 270,000 of its members have joined the strike. About 20,000 workers participated in a rally in central Seoul, but no clashes with riot police were reported. More workers will hold massive rallies in Seoul and other cities on Saturday and Sunday, the KTCU said.
Police say the number of participants is much lower than the KCTU's estimate. They said it is about 35,000, which is only 0.19 percent of the entire working population.
The protestors include thousands of members of the Korean Teachers and Educational Workers' Union (KTEW) and the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU).
They oppose the government's ongoing pension reform negotiations. The two groups' participation was condemned harshly by the government.
"Strikes by civil servants will not be tolerated," said the government in a statement. "Those who participate in the illegal collective action will face consequences."
The KGEU said almost 50,000 of its members will join protests, but the actual number could be lower. The number of unionized teachers participating in the strike is expected to be closer to 10,000. The teachers' union's participation in a strike was the first in nine years.
Teachers and civil servants were not received well by some union members who argued their issue is not as urgent as other labor-related concerns, and that their participation will overshadow the demands of some of the other participants.
According to police in Seoul, major clashes are expected to be near Yeouido Park, Cheonggye Stream, Seoul Station, Seoul Plaza and Gwanghwamun. The police said the striking workers will gather at Seoul Plaza and march through downtown Seoul from 3 p.m. on Saturday. The police estimate almost 10,000 will be marching. On Sunday, about 15,000 are expected to fill Seoul Square for a gathering from 3 p.m. Families of victims of the ferry Sewol and their supporters are expected to join on Sunday. A Sewol-related demonstration last week featured a violent clash as police formed bus walls. Almost 100 were injured and police detained 100 demonstrators, including 20 Sewol family members.
The high unemployment rate for college graduates and poor working conditions for irregular workers are among the main issues in the dispute. The labor unions also demand the government drop its moves to reform the labor market and raise the minimum wage to 10,000 won ($9.2) per hour.
Manufacturing and construction workers and public medical care providers also participated in the protest. The union of Seoul National University Hospital began its strike on Thursday, opposing the hospitals move to change its wage system to a performance-based one. Unionized workers from Hyundai-Kia Motors, the single largest labor's union, did not participate in the strike, saying that it had become too political.
Negotiations related to the minimum wage are set to begin in May and it is important for labor unions to show strong support from its members to the government. Friday's strike came after a vote in which 361,743 out of 428,000 members voted in favor of the strike in a vote held between March 21 and April 10. The KCTU said the strike will continue indefinitely.
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