Union Will Boycott Lee’s Inauguration Ceremony
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The nation's largest labor umbrella group Thursday has decided to boycott Prsident-elect Lee Myung-bak's inauguration ceremony slated for Feb. 25.
Lee Suk-haeng, the head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), said six heads of the union were invited but they rejected the offer. He said the union will fight the President-to-be till he shows willingness to solve the non-permanent workers issue.
The rejection is seen to indicate they will maintain a hard-line stance during the new leader's presidency.
The unionists expressed anger that Lee visited automotive maker GM Daewoo's plant in Bupyeong, Incheon, Tuesday, praising it as an ideal model for good labor-management relations. The company has reportedly had no case of labor disputes for the past five years.
However, Oh Moon-sook, the spokesman of the union, said Lee's comments are inaccurate as several temporary workers have been struggling for their reinstatement at the company.
Earlier this month, Lee Suk-haeng warned of mass rallies unless President-elect Lee becomes more accommodating toward labor issues. He criticized the President-Elect for vowing to act sternly against any illegal collective actions.
Lee Myung-bak suddenly cancelled a scheduled meeting with the leaders Monday. Lee's spokesman said later that Lee Suk-haeng's refusal to accept a police request for an appearance for his alleged violation of rallies forced the President-elect to cancel the scheduled meeting.
However, the union hit Lee for canceling the meeting which was supposed to be held without any preconditions.
His spokesman Lee Dong-kwan has said President-elect Lee thinks management and workers must take different roles when it comes to harmony. ``He believes the workers must work for their own benefit and welfare through upgraded productivity without disputes and then the company will be able to reward their dedication,'' he said.
Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp. labor union said Thursday that it would go on strike from Friday to frustrate the company's plan to sack 10 percent of all personnel by 2010.
The planned strike is seen to be a barometer of Lee Myung-bak administration's labor policy.