Strong-Arm Policy, Internal Strife Test Unions
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Korea's once-strong labor movement is at a crossroads, as it is facing a strong-arm policy by the business-friendly government and deepening internal divisions.
President Lee Myung-bak, a former CEO of a big construction firm, is acting as supreme commander in this fight. His labor minister, Yim Tae-hee, is a top lieutenant who says that the nation's labor relations are the least developed among advanced countries.
On the sixth day into a railway workers' strike, Monday, Labor Minister Yim and Justice Minister Lee Kwi-nam vowed to deal with striking union members sternly and according to the law.
This reflects Lee's remark last week: "In such a time when countless young people are out of job, I can't accept a strike by unionists who are guaranteed with lifetime employment."
Reflecting Lee's strong will, Korail sued 182 leaders of the ongoing rail workers' strike and prosecutors are saying that they will be tried for disrupting services.
The government apparently sees the strike as a precursor to a nationwide strike planned by other unions, expected in mid-December.
Two umbrella unions, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), said they will stage a general strike should the government not scrap or delay the implementation of the revised Labor Law banning employers from paying wages to full-time unionists and allowing multiple unions at a single workplace.
The most recent general strike, in 1997, drew over 3 million participants and halted the nation's businesses. But the damage will be even worse this time, the heads of both unions agreed.
The government's strict stance is threatening to unravel the fragile alliance of the two very different umbrella unions.
On Monday, the dovish FKTU took a step backward, saying it is willing to accept the "gradual" abolishment of the wages of full time unionists.
Its leader, Jang Seok-chun, asked the government to scrap the revision. The hawkish KCTU threatened to pull out of the alliance.
The governing Grand National Party (GNP) is pushing the labor ministry to continue dialogue. The GNP has been in political partnership with the FKTU since 2007, when the group publicly supported Lee for the presidency.
The party recommended a grace period of three years before the abolition of wage payment to full-time union leaders, should the group accept the policy of allowing multiple unions in a workplace.
KCTU spokesman Lee Soo-bong said the group is ready to cut all ties with its temporary partner. "We have put everything into it. We aren't seeking a compromise that can cause us damage in the near future. The FKTU hasn't consulted with us about the matter, either," he said.
Industry insiders said the alliance is about to fall apart. "It has happened before. The chances of a general strike taking place are about 50-50," an observer said.