By Nam Hyun-woo
A series of strikes are feared to hit the Korean economy, with little public support for the walkouts.
Following the strike by financial union members in opposition to the merit-based pay system Friday, railway unions will launch a strike from Tuesday to protest the government’s push to introduce the system within their industry.
The strike will be led by the affiliates of Korean Public Services and Transportation Workers’ Union (KPTU), including the Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU) and Seoul Subway Labor Union.
The strike will be the first in 22 years with both subway and train union members joining forces. The KPTU has 62,000 members.
The KRWU said in a statement Friday that the Korea Railway Corp. (KORAIL) board’s unilateral decision to accept the merit-based pay system was a blatant violation of the Labor Law and it will give it until Tuesday 9 a.m. to reverse the decision.
According to KORAIL, it will make utmost efforts to contain the fallout of the strike. It estimated a 100 percent operation of the KTX and other commuting trains, while a 60 percent operation rate for other slower trains such as the Saemaeul and Mugunghwa. Cargo trains will be running at some 30 percent of the usual level.
Industry insiders expected that the participation rate will not be high because the intended strike is about a broad labor issue, not a specific one such as wage negotiation.
On Wednesday, Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union will launch a strike also in an opposition to the merit-based pay system. The strike will be joined by union members at public and private hospitals.
On Thursday, Korea’s two largest umbrella unions, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, will hold a rally in Yeouido, Seoul, to protest the merit-based pay system. Some 60,000 people are expected to participate.
However, their moves are garnering little support from the public and industry insiders. According to the government’s tally, 20,000 participated in the financial unions’ strike, falling short of the Korean Financial Industry Union’s estimate of 70,000 to 90,000.
The participation rate of union members at four major banks ― KEB Hana, Shinhan, KB Kookmin and Woori Bank ― remained lower than 3 percent. Union leaders reportedly had to give hundreds to thousands of lunchboxes they bought for participants to nearby charities as the number of participants was smaller than expected.
Industry insiders attributed the tepid participation rate to the lack of appropriateness in the cause of the walkout. “The wide perception is that financial workers enjoy high wages,” said a Seoul-based bank worker asking not to be named. “And the strike may be deemed as selfish, as well as drawing negative sentiment toward financial workers.”
KORAIL CEO Hong Soon-man echoed this view. “The country’s economy is struggling due to a debacle stemming from the Hanjin Shipping crisis. If unionists continue taking the public hostages and stage strikes, the people will turn away from them.”