Workers slam government's labor policy

Workers stage a protest against the government's labor policy in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

About 15,000 workers protested outside the National Assembly, Saturday, against the government's labor policy, which they claim is too friendly to chaebol, or the country's leading conglomerates.

The protest was participated in by members of 50 associations from across the nation, including the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the Korea Democratic Street Vendors Confederation (KDSVC) and the National Alliance of Squatters and Evictees.

This was the first mass meeting of a varied group of associations since November 2015 when people held candlelit rallies to protest then-President Park Geun-hye's political corruption.

They urged the government to halt the implementation of a flexible work hour system and retract its street vendor management policy.

"The National Assembly that once voted for impeachment is now trying to turn the clock back to the time before we protested because of the corruption scandal. The government is now returning to a pro-chaebol policy putting workers' livelihoods on the line," KCTU Chairman Kim Myung-hwan said at the gathering.

"The government and the ruling party have formed cozy relationships with the conglomerates and they are trying to overturn our candlelight revolution. In December, we will inherit the spirit of Baek Nam-ki and go out on the street to protest."

Baek was a farmer who died several months after being struck by a jet from police water cannon during an anti-government rally in 2015 that left him in a coma. He was part of a group of farmers calling for the government to impose price controls to keep the price of rice above 210,000 won ($187) per 80-kilogram bag. This had been one of Park's pledges during her presidential campaign.

The KCTU held its first protest at the Assembly against the expansion of flexible working hours two weeks ago.

Together with the other major umbrella union, the Federation of Korea Trade Union (FKTU), the KCTU argues that the expansion only made it legal for conglomerates to force workers to put in longer hours and to hire more non-regular workers.

They added that President Moon Jae-in promised to change the status of all non-regular workers at public medical institutions to that of permanent employees, but has yet to do so. The unions said they will hold a strike if the government ignores them.

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