Liberal groups to rally against Moon's 'backward labor policies'
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions destroy signs that read “flexible working hours” and “irregular employment” at a rally on Yeouido, Seoul, Nov. 21, the day the umbrella union held a strike. / Korea Times photo by Shin Sang-soon
By Lee Suh-yoon
Around 10,000 members of liberal civic, labor groups will rally in the capital this weekend to protest the Moon Jae-in administration's alleged scaling back of labor-friendly policies.
Fifty groups will stage the protest on streets near the National Assembly on Yeouido, Saturday afternoon. Such a massive, joint protest will be the first in three years since one in November 2015 against the then-Park Geun-hye administration.
Moon came to power in May 2017, after months of massive protests that led to Park's ouster. A former human rights lawyer and liberal icon, Moon initially gained huge support from liberal groups for his promise to eradicate the “deep-rooted evils” of the society by reforming the government and pursuing labor-friendly policies.
But the same unions and civic groups that eased his transition to power have turned against him, citing his failure to properly implement the 10,000 won ($8.9) hourly minimum wage and 52-hour workweek.
“We call it Moon's give-and-steal policy,” Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) spokesman Nam Jung-su told The Korea Times, Friday. “Yes, Moon raised the minimum wage by 16 percent but also made it ineffectual at the same time by revising the wage calculation method. The same with the 52-hour workweek: it was set up with a flexibility clause so companies could easily bypass it by citing fluctuating demand.”
Moon is also accused of siding with the conservative opposition parties on market deregulation policies amid a prolonged economic slump.
Just last week, 160,000 workers belonging to the KCTU country went on a strike nationwide to protest Moon's failure to deliver on his pro-labor campaign promises. His approval ratings have fallen to below 50 percent recently from 67 percent in July.
The groups participating in the rally want the government to pass labor reforms and scrap the flexible work hour plan. They have also denounced the government's eviction of shopkeepers from the old Noryanjin Fisheries Wholesale Market and the court's suspension of a jail sentence for Samsung head Lee Jae-yong.
“We chose to hold the rally in front of the National Assembly because it's the main culprit holding up bills needed to implement labor-friendly policies,” Nam said. “For us, it's the main site of deep-rooted evil.”
On the same day, conservative groups calling for the release of jailed former President Park will also march from Seoul Station to Gwanghwamun Square, with about 7,000 participants expected. Several more civic groups with diverse purposes also plan demonstrations in downtown Seoul in the afternoon.