Yoon's labor reform faces trouble as FKTU mulls exit from negotiating body

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

National

Mon, October 2, 2023 | 17:43

Politics

Yoon's labor reform faces trouble as FKTU mulls exit from negotiating body

Posted : 2023-06-05 16:07

Updated : 2023-06-06 09:36

Leaders of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) stage a protest in front of the National Police Agency headquarters in western Seoul's Seodaemun District, Friday, against what they call excessive force last month on a union member, which led to his injury. Yonhap

Tension escalates amid Yoon's hardline stance against strikes, recent crackdown

By Nam Hyun-woo

President Yoon Suk Yeol's bid to reform Korea's labor-management culture is in trouble, as one of the largest umbrella unions in the country is considering exiting the council for the trilateral dialogue of labor, management and the government.

Yoon has been seeking to bring changes to the country's labor market and militant union culture as part of his three-pronged reform agenda. In doing so, however, the president's hardline stance on union strikes appears to be backfiring, triggering unions to become more combative against the government.

According to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), it will hold an emergency executive committee meeting in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, Wednesday, to discuss whether it will exit the Economic, Social and Labor Council (ESLC).

Following the meeting, the FKTU will hold a press conference in front of the presidential office in Seoul to announce its decision.

The council is a presidential body aimed at facilitating communication between labor, management and the government on various social issues, mostly those related to labor. It has been the official communication channel among the three sides since its establishment in 1998.

At the time of its establishment, Korea's two largest umbrella unions, the FKTU and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), both joined the council, but the latter exited it in 1999. Since then, the FKTU has been participating in the council alone. Conservative governments, therefore, have viewed the FKTU, which has approximately 1.2 million members, as the more reasonable partner for talks.

If the FKTU exits the ESLC, there will be no official communication channel between the government and the unions, and the council will also lose its reason for existing.

"Under the belief that it will be difficult to continue the social dialogue, the FKTU will discuss everything related to the issue (of exiting the council) including the level of protest and future plans during Wednesday's committee," FKTU General Secretary Ryu Ki-seob said during a radio interview with broadcaster MBC, Monday.

"We used to say we will open the window for social dialogue, but we have been refraining from participating in the council discussions as we now believe the current government's labor policies are making things worse … and after the police's violent suppression of Kim Joon-young, general secretary of the Federation of Korean Metal Workers' Trade Unions, our planned participation in the social dialogue slated for June 1 was also disrupted."

Kim Joon-young, left, the general secretary of the Federation of Korean Metal Workers' Trade Unions, a sub-organization of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions, resists police officers attempting to end his sit-in strike on a 7-meter-high steel structure in front of steelmaker POSCO's mill in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province, May 31. Courtesy of South Jeolla Provincial Police

Police apprehended Kim on May 31 for obstruction of public duty by using force while resisting officers' attempting to end his sit-in strike on a 7-meter-high steel structure in front of steelmaker POSCO's mill in Gwangyang, South Jeolla Province. During the police action, Kim also suffered an injury to his head. The metalworker unions' federation is a sub-organization of the FKTU.

This triggered the FKTU to turn its back on the Yoon administration.

"As we see the Yoon administration's violent suppression, we have clearly confirmed that this administration has no intention to engage in talks with the labor side," FKTU President Kim Dong-myeong said on May 31. "Starting now, the FKTU will stage its protest to bring justice to the Yoon administration."

Yoon's labor reform drive gained momentum last year after the public showed a positive response to his no-compromise stance to alleged illegal activities during strikes by some unions. At the time, the unions also kept a relatively lower profile, but the recent clash has triggered them to amplify their voices against the labor reforms.

Against this backdrop, the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is seeking to ramp up its criticisms of the Yoon administration by supporting the umbrella unions' protests.

"Through a hearing by the National Assembly's standing committee, we will clarify who is responsible for the ruthless suppression," DPK Rep. Jin Sung-joon said Sunday. "The party will also explore the possibility of joining forces with the two umbrella unions' protest."

namhw@koreatimes.co.kr