The 2021 Korean Confederation of Trade Unions strike was a general strike organised by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in October 2021.[1][2]
Background edit
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), literally translated as National Democratic Confederation of Trade Unions, also known as Minju-nochong (Korean: 민주노총; acronym for KCTU in Korean language) is a national trade union centre officially established in 1995. Following the 2016–17 South Korean protests (Candlelight Demonstrations), the KCTU has seen accelerated growth in union enrollment, reaching 963,035 members in 2018 and making it the largest industrial union confederation in Korea.[3]
Strike edit
On 3 July, around 8000 KCTU workers rallied in downtown Seoul, calling for better pay and better safety measures against workplace accidents. The rally had originally been planned to take place in Yeouido, but police had barricaded the area.[4] The government had refused to issue a permit for the rally, citing COVID restrictions.[5][6] However, only 3 workers tested positive for COVID-19 in the aftermath of the rally.[7][8] On 23 July, around 400 KCTU members held a rally in Wonju calling for better working conditions, despite several hundred police attempting to disperse the rally.[9]
In mid-August, an arrest warrant was issued for Yang Kyung-soo, the president of the KCTU, on the pretext of having violated COVID-19 social distancing requirements.[10] On 2 September, he was arrested by South Korea police. The KCTU reacted to the arrest by releasing a statement calling it "a declaration of war by the Moon Jae-in government" and vowed to stage a "strong strike."[11]
On 10 October, the Seoul city council announced that it would prohibit the KCTU from holding rallies in the city that month.[12] On 14 October, the KCTU stated that it intended to hold the general strike the following week. Among the key demands of the strike would be better working conditions and regularisation for irregular workers, an increase in the minimum wage, and a greater focus on labour rights during the upcoming 2022 South Korean presidential election.[13]
On 19 October, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum called for the KCTU to call off the strike, stating that "this general strike is by no means helpful to the safety of the community and is just irresponsible." President Moon Jae-in also call for the union to stop the strike, stating that it was instead "a critical time for the entire nation to prepare for daily recovery in November with one mind."[14] The conservative New National Council of Student Representatives put up posters around 100 higher education campuses criticising the strike, stating that it would file a police report against the union and that the union was "ignoring the hopes of 7 million small business owners."[15]
On 20 October, around 550 000 KCTU members walked off their jobs, with a further 80 000 participating in large rallies across 13 different cities. In Seoul, around 12 000 police were deployed to prevent the workers from holding a rally in Gwanghwamun Plaza, additionally blocking nearby metro stations. Some strikers reported clashes with the police after the rally began marching towards Seodaemun Station, as the police attempted to break up the rally. The police later stated that it intended to prosecute the organisers of the rally for breaching COVID-19 restrictions.[16]
References edit
- ^ "South Korea: Militant national strike shows anger against capitalist establishment".
- ^ "Half a Million South Korean Workers Walk off Jobs in General Strike".
- ^ "Minju Noch'ong chohabwŏn su Han'guk Noch'ong ch'ŏt ch'uwŏl…23-nyŏnman e 'che 1 noch'ong' tŭnggŭk". Yŏnhap Nyusŭ. Yŏnhap Nyusŭ. 25 December 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- ^ "Thousands of South Korean workers rally in coronavirus-hit Seoul | the Straits Times". 3 July 2021.
- ^ "Labor group leader grilled by police over alleged illegalities during rallies". 7 July 2021.
- ^ "Police book 23 KCTU members for holding massive rally amid pandemic". 19 July 2021.
- ^ "South Korea's Top Independent Labor Leader Has Been Arrested".
- ^ "Labor group says 3 members' COVID-19 infections irrelevant to July 3 rally". 27 July 2021.
- ^ "South Korea trade unionists rally in defiance of coranvirus ban | the Straits Times". 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Warrant issued for KCTU head, but arrest remains challenge for police". 16 August 2021.
- ^ "(LEAD) Police arrest labor umbrella organization head over holding rallies despite COVID-19 ban". 2 September 2021.
- ^ "Seoul city govt. Bans labor group's planned street rallies this month". 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Umbrella union to hold large-scale rally during next week's one-day general strike". 14 October 2021.
- ^ "Union to push ahead with strike despite mounting concerns". 19 October 2021.
- ^ "Umbrella union's planned strike meets criticism". 18 October 2021.
- ^ "Labour union stages rallies, strikes in South Korea | the Straits Times". 20 October 2021.
