The railway union strike has been going on for two days now, and yesterday members started rehearsing tactics that involve scattering should the police try to intervene at the sit-in. Subsequently it looks like a worst-case scenario in which there is an all-out confrontation can be avoidable.
The effects of the strike are already being felt here and there, so the public desperately wants to know how long it is going to last. It would be most desirable for there to be a quick resolution through good-faith negotiations, but just having an end to the strike will not mean all the problems are gone. The key issues are the need for more employees and the reinstatement of those who have been fired, and the formal hiring of the female attendants on the high speed rail instead of keeping them in their irregular worker status. All the issues are basically connected to government policy. The rail company remains crushed by the massive debt it was left with, and so there is little room for the management to work with.
That is what makes the government's response a problem, because nowhere do you see signs that it wants to try to resolve the situation. When negotiations broke down towards the end of last month it decided to invoke its authority to intervene and in doing so made a legal strike impossible. Forced arbitration is something the even government and ruling party once wanted to abolish, saying it excessively limited unions' right of collective action. Now the government upped the pressure on the union as soon as it went on strike by threatening to send in the riot police. Its attitude appears to be to wait until there is more public opinion critical of the union while continuously pushing it to the brink.
The government has long preached about bringing labor-business relations to a new and higher level. That of course makes sense. Labor-business relations have to be stable for the economy to go well. The premise, however, is going to be a change in how unions are viewed. Currently they are seen as objects of police suppression and control, and they need to be seen as partners in dialogue. Tactics meant to push unions around may be effective in the short-term, but the government needs to realize that it will harm relations over the long run.
The Hankyoreh, 3 March 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
[Editorial] Pushing Union to the Brink Isn't the Answer |
