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| Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions hold a rally in Jongno, Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap |
'Snubbed' umbrella union vows all-out protest against 'anti-labor' president-elect
By Lee Kyung-min
Korea's labor groups will no longer be able to thrive under the incoming Yoon Suk-yeol administration, whose management-labor dynamics is set to skew significantly in favor of businesses, according to market watchers and economists, Friday.
President-elect Yoon was quick to meet with business leaders, Monday, to share their concerns about a number of pending issues, a demonstration of his pro-business priority. This was cemented further by the transition committee's characterization of labor group's street rallies as "a source of public distrust of the law enforcement authorities," Thursday. Labor groups have repeatedly demanded talks with Yoon, but their requests have not been returned.
The series of new, dramatic changes in treatment bode ill for the country's unions, experts say, since their immense influence with the top policymakers and state-run entities during the Moon Jae-in administration will fade rapidly, along with their years of collective efforts to bypass and disregard management.
All-out protest?
Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of Korea's two large umbrella unions alongside the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), said Thursday they will protest against the Yoon Suk-yeol administration over the next five full years.
"We will fight against the war declared by Yoon who is forcing workers to risk death, and overall deteriorated labor conditions including the minimum wage," the group said in a statement.
The outcome of Yoon's meeting with business leaders only helps them guarantee greater corporate greed, the group added.
"Is Yoon set to help chaebols make more money and exempt them from workers' death or critical injuries in industrial accidents? Policies in favor of chaebols under the guise of market principles and democratic ideas have resulted in the most polarized society. The Yoon administration is reverting to old labor practices whereby long hours of labor and major industrial accidents killed workers," the group said.
The comment followed the announcement of the transition committee, Thursday, on ways to ease rules on the punishment of CEOs for critical industrial accidents. Under the law that took effect in January, CEOs of large firms will be subject to a minimum prison term of one year or a fine of up to 1 billion won ($843,000) in the event that they are found liable for any fatal industrial accident that occurs under their leadership.
The FKTU said the president-elect should not rush to revise the relevant clauses, before ensuring how the new law has changed the business practices on labor sites.
"Seeking revision less than a year after the law has been in effect is not the answer. The government should be making efforts to identify its role to help reduce the number of accidents," it added.
Dankook University economist Kim Tai-gi said labor groups need to look beyond protecting their vested interests and seek to contribute to enhancing the public good.
"The history of labor groups in Korea shows their collective power was used exclusively to strengthen their perks, with little regard for the public good," he said. "It is high time for them to adopt a productive mindset for mutual growth, rather than antagonizing the management for their political and financial gains."
