Union, Management Should Find Compromise Solution

The Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU) and cargo dealers of the Korean Transport Workers’ Union (KTWU) plan to go on a joint strike from today. The KRWU and Korail have been in dispute over the unionists’ demand for reinstatement of fired workers and the provision of contract workers with permanent staff-status. Korail has been rebuffing the demand describing it as not being subject to negotiations. With the two sides showing no intentions of budging from their original stances, the strike, which has been looming, will surely cause chaos in public transportation.

A survey conducted by Korail showed 81 percent of respondents opposed any strikes by state-run companies. The unionists have been resorting to illegal methods such as rejecting mediation proposed by the National Labor Relations Commission. Korail has threatened to sue union members for compensation for losses that may result from the general strike. The union had already been ordered to pay 5.1 billion won in compensation due to its unlawful collective action in March this year.

The main streets of central Seoul were paralyzed last Sunday, hit by mass rallies organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, though the police had previously banned them. The demonstrators wielded wooden clubs and hurled stones at policemen in attempts to barge through the riot police. The Institute of International Management Development (IMD) based in Switzerland recently noted that the radical labor movement has been weakening the national competitiveness of Korea. Trade unions have been coming with excessive demands while the management has failed to gain their trust due to a lack of managerial transparency. The government has also failed to cope with labor issues with no concrete principles or policies.

Unionists have been claiming the right for assembly and demonstration to be guaranteed by the Constitution, even though no one has the right to enjoy his or her freedom at the sacrifice of another person’s freedom. The demonstrators who took to the streets on Sunday inflicted huge inconvenience to the general public and losses to proprietors of small shops and street vendors, in particular.

According to data compiled by the police, some 600 to 800 policemen have suffered injuries every year since 2003 due to clashes with demonstrators. It is totally nonsense that citizens in a non-emergency situation injured such a huge number of policemen. Besides losses in human resources, the nation has been hit by 12 trillion won in social costs resulting from illegal strikes. Many foreign companies have been hesitating to invest in Korea, wary of the hard-line labor force. The loss from the degraded national image due to violent demonstrations is uncountable.

The current government is responsible for the brewing dispute and confusion, as it has been adopting lenient policies toward unions. Now it needs to strictly crack down on unlawful collective activities to ensure social justice and the rule of law and principle instead of seeking populist policies.

* From The Korea Times. 11-15-2007 17:47.

 Railway, Cargo Workers to Go on Strike Nov. 16

By Bae Ji-sook, Staff Reporter

The Korean Railway Workers Union (KRWU) and a logistics network announced Tuesday that their members agreed to stage a joint strike from Nov. 16.

Originally, they planned to launch the strike from Nov. 12, but delayed the date on concerns that their action could cause traffic chaos ahead of the College Scholastic Ability Test slated for Nov. 15.

At a press conference held in Seoul, the unionized workers said the strike has gained support from 54 percent of the railway union members and 71 percent of logistics network members.

They said the railway workers’ requests to KORAIL to raise their salaries by five percent, reinstate 46 fired workers, withdraw its layoff plans and change the status of contract workers to permanent staff were ignored.

We are asking for a public approved railway and an innovate worker distribution system,'' a union spokesman said. He asked KORAIL and the Ministry of Construction and Transportation to play an active role in talks to solve these problems while suggesting the Prime Minister's Office hold an emergency meeting for worker-government arbitration. The union and KORIAL held 11 negotiation sessions over the three months up to the end of October. Lee Cheol, president of KORAIL, defined the strike as an illegal one. The National Labor Relations Commission last Thursday issued orders that the union should not strike during the arbitration period. He said the union is too demanding and he will respond sternly to the illegal actions of the workers. The railway company has set up countermeasures against the strike, which is expected to affect 2,653 trains. It said only 23 percent of the passenger trains and 14.7 percent of freight trains would operate. The company said it will hire managing staff, retirees and some military personnel to temporarily run the trains. Also, there will be 7,000 substitutes and non-unionized workers working at train stations and related facilities. The company is also planning to ask express bus companies and leased bus companies to help carry goods and passengers.We will try to make the final negotiation work, but if we fail, we will try our best to minimize people’s inconvenience from the strike,’’ the spokesman said.

* From The Korea Tinmes, 11-06-2007 17:36

bjs koreatimes.co.kr