ID :
61347
Tue, 05/19/2009 - 16:28
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/61347
The shortlink copeid
Labor group proposes talks with gov't over job security
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's biggest umbrella labor organization on
Tuesday proposed opening negotiations with the government to discuss pending
labor issues, including boosting job creation and setting up a wider unemployment
safety net.
The latest proposal forwarded by the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU),
the more militant of the nation's two major labor umbrella groups, came a few
days after KCTU members clashed with riot police in a violent rally that left
more than one hundred people wounded.
"We sent President Lee Myung-bak a letter offering dialogue and are waiting for a
response," Lim Seong-kyu, chairman of the KCTU, told reporters. "We demand that
the government form a minister-level delegation and come to the negotiating
table."
The KCTU, which claims nearly 750,000 members among some 2,000 affiliated unions
nationwide, has a history of supporting militant protests against the
government's labor policy.
Over the weekend, thousands of truck drivers and union activists clashed with
riot police in Daejeon, about 200 kilometers south of Seoul. They called for the
government to devise measures to protect non-regular workers who draw smaller
wages and are easier to fire under existing labor laws.
Police say the violent demonstration injured some 100 police officers and damaged
99 police vehicles. They added that 457 people were detained on charges of
attacking police with rocks and bamboo sticks and that they would impose stricter
punishments on those arrested.
Lim said the issue of creating social safety measures for temporary workers, sole
proprietors and the unemployed, as well as hikes in the minimum wage and overall
job creation should be put on the agenda of the proposed talks.
The KCTU will form a joint delegation among leaders of its affiliated unions by
next week, Lim added.
He said that the KCTU will launch a mass protest on June 10 if the government
turns down its proposal or the meeting ends without making significant progress.
"We demand a sincere dialogue and negotiations between labor and government," Lim
said. "The suggestion is not a wild project, but an assignment that we must
complete."
An official from the Ministry of Labor said the union's intentions were difficult
to understand, pointing to their plan to stage a protest after the
government-labor talks.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
Tuesday proposed opening negotiations with the government to discuss pending
labor issues, including boosting job creation and setting up a wider unemployment
safety net.
The latest proposal forwarded by the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU),
the more militant of the nation's two major labor umbrella groups, came a few
days after KCTU members clashed with riot police in a violent rally that left
more than one hundred people wounded.
"We sent President Lee Myung-bak a letter offering dialogue and are waiting for a
response," Lim Seong-kyu, chairman of the KCTU, told reporters. "We demand that
the government form a minister-level delegation and come to the negotiating
table."
The KCTU, which claims nearly 750,000 members among some 2,000 affiliated unions
nationwide, has a history of supporting militant protests against the
government's labor policy.
Over the weekend, thousands of truck drivers and union activists clashed with
riot police in Daejeon, about 200 kilometers south of Seoul. They called for the
government to devise measures to protect non-regular workers who draw smaller
wages and are easier to fire under existing labor laws.
Police say the violent demonstration injured some 100 police officers and damaged
99 police vehicles. They added that 457 people were detained on charges of
attacking police with rocks and bamboo sticks and that they would impose stricter
punishments on those arrested.
Lim said the issue of creating social safety measures for temporary workers, sole
proprietors and the unemployed, as well as hikes in the minimum wage and overall
job creation should be put on the agenda of the proposed talks.
The KCTU will form a joint delegation among leaders of its affiliated unions by
next week, Lim added.
He said that the KCTU will launch a mass protest on June 10 if the government
turns down its proposal or the meeting ends without making significant progress.
"We demand a sincere dialogue and negotiations between labor and government," Lim
said. "The suggestion is not a wild project, but an assignment that we must
complete."
An official from the Ministry of Labor said the union's intentions were difficult
to understand, pointing to their plan to stage a protest after the
government-labor talks.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
