Progressive Trade Union Losing Members, Influence
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The progressive Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has been losing members amid cries of poor leadership and that it is out of tune with the interests of unionists.
The union of Grand Hilton Seoul has decided to quit the confederation, the latest in a series of recent defections. The group, regarded more militant than its counterparts, was part of a 620,000-strong confederation that appears to be falling apart at the seams.
So far, 688 members have ended their KCTU affiliation, and about 9,000 Seoul Metro unionists also plan to terminate their association.
In a vote last week, 76.3 percent of the Grand Hilton unionists backed the departure. Its group was one of the most hard-line labor unions among Seoul hotels, staging a walkout for 120 days in 2000.
Yoo Chang-mok, head of the hotel's union, said the decision would benefit both union and management. ``The KCTU focuses on political struggles rather than promoting the welfare of its members,'' Yoo said.
The union of Seung-Il, a Cheonan-based construction company, also voted to go independent on March 20 and end its KCTU affiliation. Unionists at Ulsan-based waste disposal company NCC and Yungjin Pharmaceutical in Gyeonggi Province made the same decision.
The union of Seah Steel, which withdrew from the KCTU two years ago, has decided to join the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU).
It is regarded as a quite rare occurrence for a KCTU-affiliated union to switch to the FKTU.
Six subway unions nationwide, five of which were linked to KCTU, also said March 20 that they will form a separate umbrella union for public services sectors. Two of the unions are in Seoul with one each in Incheon, Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon.
The Incheon union had previously sought to end its affiliation with the KCTU in vain.
``As a KCTU member, we're limited in effective negotiations with the government and local authorities. Unions in the public sector should have a new negotiating organization,'' a Seoul Metro unionist said, indicating the public sector unionists want to launch a third trade union group.
Lee Sung-hee, head of the Incheon subway union, said, ``(The) KCTU sticks to political struggles, like opposition to the Key Resolve military exercise, without helping workers fired in walkouts. It should devote itself to promoting and protecting the rights of its members.''
The umbrella union is now rudderless, with a vacant leadership.
All nine of its leaders resigned early in February to take responsibility for an attempted sexual assault by one of its staff members on a female unionist. Its reputation was seriously damaged after it initially sought to cover up the scandal.
The KCTU will select new leaders soon, but is expected to have difficulty in forming a strong hierarchy, because they will only serve until January.