Metalworkers continue massive strike
Yonhap | 28 June 2007
Metalworkers continue massive strike
By Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) — Tens of thousands of unionized metalworkers were poised to stage a strike Thursday for a fourth consecutive day to oppose a proposed free trade deal between South Korea and the United States.
They will carry out four-hour and six-hour work stoppages on Thursday and Friday, respectively, following two-hour daily strikes from Monday through Wednesday, the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU), an association of the unions, said.
South Korea and the U.S. reached a free trade agreement (FTA) in early April after 10 months of negotiations. The agreement, expected to be signed by the two governments by the end of June, needs to be ratified by the legislative bodies of both countries. The unionized metal workers vow to block the deal, arguing that it would threaten their job security.
"An increased number of workers will join the strike Thursday, as many unions agreed to participate in the two-day massive strike," a spokesman for the KMWU said.
Around 3,000 to 5,000 workers joined the strikes for the last three days. The number is likely grow to 45,000 across the country on Thursday and Friday, the Labor Ministry said.
The government warned last week that stern measures would be taken against metalworkers who participate in what it called the illegal political strike with no connection to labor conditions.
A local court early Thursday issued arrest warrants for KMWU leader Chung Kap-deuk and 14 other union members for organizing illegal rallies for the past few days.
The labor union at Hyundai Motor Co., the largest union belonging to the KMWU, said it will join the strike, defying the Hyundai Motor president’s call to cancel the planned walkout.
"Once the Korea-US FTA is sealed, Hyundai will have to go through the kind of nightmare it suffered after a painful workforce restructuring in the year 1998," Hyundai Motor’s union said.
Earlier in the day, Hyundai Motor President Yoon Yeo-cheol asked the 44,000-strong union not to participate in the planned strike.
"It’s regrettable because our plants have become a scapegoat of annual political strikes," Yoon said in a statement.
The company asked police to investigate as many as 20 union leaders for causing losses by launching the walkout.
