Jandar
Joined: 11 Jun 2008
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 Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:24 pm Post subject: Beef, Cars and Steel |
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Metal unions join in U.S. beef walkout
Today, more than 200,000 will join the strike nationwide, he said. Its members will gather in Seoul from tomorrow through Saturday to join candlelight vigils against the beef imports.
This will be a start of the annual summer strife, which will be longer and fiercer this year than before, he threatened.
"The summer struggle will go on well beyond July and I expect it will continue through September given the government's plan to restructure the public sector," he said.
The action comes after a general strike by truck drivers between June 11-19, which has been estimated to cost the nation about $6.6 billion in lost trade.
The government and business organizations demanded the union cancel the plan, which will devastate an economy already suffering from record-high oil prices and a sagging global market.
Workers at Hyundai Motor, Korea's top car maker, plan to stage a two-day partial strike as part of the nationwide protests and its own collective action for wage increase.
The union is part of the Korean Metal Workers' Union, a key member of the KCTU. The metal industry union, consisting of about 230 companies, approved the strike plan on Sunday with the support of 76 percent of its voting members.
The Hyundai Motor union said some 45,000 will stop work for two hours each on Wednesday and Thursday. They will not work overtime until the settlement of wage talks.
They demand the company come to automobile industry-level negotiations, in which labor unions will have greater leverage. The carmaker rejected it.
Workers at Kia Motors Corp., GM Daewoo Auto & Technology Co., and Ssangyong Motor Co. will join the two-day partial work stoppage, union officials at the companies said.
The Labor Ministry refused to recognize the legitimacy of the planned strike.
It said the action is motivated by the political purpose of blocking U.S. beef imports. Especially, Hyundai workers did not sit for a wage negotiation with management before undertaking industrial action, which violates the law, the ministry said.
The KCTU rebuffed the criticism. "The beef matter is directly related to the health and everyday life of workers. It is natural that we fight over the issue," Lee said.
The Korea Employers Federation, a major business organization, called on the unions to restrain from action which could deal a serious blow to the economy.
The corporate lobby warned that its members will take legal actions against the illegal walkout and demanded the law enforcement agencies crack down on and press charges against strike organizers.
By Hwang Jang-jin
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