Ssangyong’s Survival Questioned
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
A breakdown of last-minute talks between union and management on Sunday dashed hopes for an early normalization of the Ssangyong Motor plant and called into question its very survival.
Creditors set the end of this month as a deadline for resuming its production to avoid bankruptcy.
``There is nothing to talk about at the moment,'' said Park Young-tae, representing Ssangyong management. ``We are ready to return to the negotiation table as soon as labor presents a convincing proposal.''
The union is urging management to retain all workers and rotate them in shifts but management said a painful reduction of manpower is a must for Ssasngyong's survival.
The union demands that it re-hire around 800 workers since around 1,800 of those laid off have accepted honorary retirement. But management said that is unacceptable.
Following the breakdown of the scheduled talks, police confronted laid-off union workers inside the factory for the seventh day on Sunday. Nearly 30 demonstrators were arrested during a clash with riot police.
Wielding steel pipes, about 7,000 members of a militant umbrella labor union and civic groups clashed with fully geared riot police as they attempted to enter the plant to provide water and food to the occupants of a paint shop and some other buildings.
Police have cut water and food supply to the buildings for about a week in an attempt to remove them from the site.
``About 30 demonstrators were hauled away for breaking the law. Two police motorbikes were also damaged during the clash,'' said a police officer at the scene.
More than 9,000 police were mobilized over the weekend, firing water cannons and tear gas at the protesters. Most of the activists disbanded voluntarily after they were blocked from entering the plant, police said.