Gov't warns public workers after union vote

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- The government on Wednesday vowed tough punishment
against unionized public workers who engage in political activities following
their decision to join an umbrella labor group.
The Ministries of Public Administration and Security, Justice and Labor in a
joint statement warned that the government will act against such public servants
according to the full extent of the law.
Three separate unions representing government workers voted Tuesday to merge into
a single group and to join the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the
more militant of the country's two umbrella unions.
The merger was approved by 89.6 percent of the voting members, and the KCTU
membership by 68.3 percent, according to a preliminary tally of the two-day vote.

The government had issued warnings against the move prior to the vote, arguing
that public workers would get involved in political activities, which is
prohibited by law, once they join the KCTU.
"Public servants by law are obligated to stay politically neutral," the statement
said. "But the KCTU's charter stipulates politicization of laborers."
"We cannot avoid expressing deep concern," Lee Dal-gon, public affairs minister,
said at a press conference.
The statement also blamed the unions for raising tension when the government was
trying to muster unity and efforts to overcome the prolonged economic crisis.
A merger of the three unions -- the Korean Government Employees' Union, the
Korean Democracy Government Employees' Union and the Court Government Employees'
Union -- would create a giant labor group of some 115,000 members, expected to
formally launch in December. The KCTU currently claims about 750,000 members.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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