Measures needed to prevent recurrence of autoworkers' case
Police special forces illegally used anti-terrorist weapons such as stun guns and multipurpose launchers to break up a 76-day sit-in strike by union members of Ssangyong Motor in 2009, a special committee investigating alleged human rights violations by the police disclosed Tuesday.
The committee also found that the then Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency worked out plans to suppress the striking workers unilaterally without any consultation with its superior, the National Police Agency. The police sent in the forces only after winning approval of the then presidential secretary in charge of labor affairs. They also sprayed about 200,000 liters of tear gas with cancer-causing ingredients over the unionists from a helicopter.
The finding came after the panel concluded last week that police brutality was the direct cause of the death of activist farmer Baek Nam-gi, who was left comatose Nov. 14, 2015, after being struck by a police water cannon. The results of the panel's investigation show how seriously the police abused their power in the past administration, ignoring regulations and basic guidelines on tackling labor disputes.
Union members of the automaker went on the sit-in protest against the management's restructuring plan and occupied the assembly plant in Pyeongtaek for two-and-a-half months. Of course, the unionists' action was illegal and violent and should have been handled in accordance with the law, not by the radical police force.
Basically, labor disputes should be resolved voluntarily through negotiations and cooperation between labor and management. But the police went too far. Unfortunately, it is impossible to punish criminally those responsible for the power abuse and violations of police regulations due to the statute of limitations.
Instead, the brutal suppression of striking Ssangyong unionists should serve as a bitter lesson for the national police because it was not only illegal but also against democratic principles. Police should no longer mobilize excessive force to crack down on labor disputes.
As the committee recommended, the National Police Agency should make an official apology for what its officers did nine years ago during the Lee Myung-bak government, and prepare plans to help prevent a recurrence.
The government must consider withdrawing a lawsuit police filed against the Ssangyong strikers for compensation for the damage they inflicted to a police helicopter and other equipment during the clash. The case is pending at the Supreme Court after the police won the first and appeals trials, with the courts ordering the unionists to pay 1.16 billion won in compensation.
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