South Korean unions force government to backdown

by Fred Gaboury

This article was reprinted from the January 25, 1997 issue of the People's Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved - may be used with PWW credits.

In what the Financial Times of London called a "significant climbdown," the South Korean government agreed on Jan. 21 to bow to union demands and revise a package of repressive legislation passed at a recent meeting of parliament. Although the government action falls far short of meeting the original demand of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions for nullification of the laws, the Financial Times said the retreat "is expected to cause a reshuffle of cabinet and ruling party officials."

The measures, passed at a 6 a.m. meeting from which opposition parties were excluded on Dec. 26, ends the "lifetime" jobs of many Korean workers, continues the ban against the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and gives new investigative powers to the countries much-feared internal intelligence service.

The retreat follows a week in which hundreds of thousands of Korean workers - union estimates placed the number at nearly three quarters of a million - continued a strike that began on Dec. 26 and while South Korean President Kim Young-san searched for a face-saving way of ending the face off. Earlier, Kim had ordered cancellation of arrest warrants for trade union leaders who organized the strikes and had defied government orders to appear for questioning by prosecutors.

At its peak the strikes, organized and led by the outlawed Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) with some 500,000 members, closed hundreds of Korean businesses, including most heavy industry, and enjoyed the support of the more conservative 1.2 million-member Korean Federation of Trade Unions (KFTU).

While KFTU leaders bowed to rank-and-file demands of support for a two-day general strike on Jan. 14-15, they were reluctant to authorize broader action in the face of government threats to arrest strike leaders.

Union organizations from around the world were quick to hail the action of their Korean colleagues. In addition to support from the American Federation of Trade Unions, the World Federation of Trade Unions and the International Confederation of Trade Unions.

In a statement released last week, the Southern Queensland Branch of the Maritime Union of Australia hailed "the steadfast and resolute campaign of workers and their representatives in the face of the repressive laws and accompanying police actions not only epitomizes the courage and conviction of south Korean workers, but is an inspiration for workers everywhere, including our own country."

The resolution condemned the enactment of "draconian anti- labor legislation by the South Korean government" as "a direct attack on workers' rights and living standards."