First there was a strike at Asiana Airlines. Now the health workers union is on strike, too, and the country's two main umbrella union organizations, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU, Minju Nochong) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU, Han'guk Nochong), just announced they are withdrawing from the labor commission. It shows you how serious distrust in the government is when KCTU and FKTU pull out of a commission that exists to mediate labor disputed and judge wrongful labor practices. You can also see what the mood is like when both organizations are holding rallies calling for the resignation of Labor Minister Kim Dae Hwan.
It would be hard to find another instance where both KCTU and FKTU organized a joint struggle to remove the labor minister. The reason labor is taking such a course of action is obviously because of serious discontent with the government's labor policies, but you cannot ignore the labor movement's ill feeling towards Kim Dae Hwan. He is criticized for leading the charge in attacking labor instead of mediating labor-management confrontation. The criticism is only natural if you think of how he has worsened the situation with provocative criticism of the movement. He has revealed how he fails to take the situation seriously by saying that no conflict exists between labor and business, even as KCTU and FKTU demand his resignation. Of course you cannot say that the situation is entirely Kim's fault, but the primary responsibility for resolving conflict clearly lies with him. Unfortunately you do not see in him any careful sense of responsibility for resolving the situation.
Most labor issues are such that if you look at the interests of one side of things the other side suffers consequences, and that is why neither side yields easily, which is why the labor minister needs to exhibit "political finesse." Kim still needs to meditate on what exactly his duty is.
The Hankyoreh, 22 July 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] What is Labor Minister Up To, Anyway? |
