Thousands of labor activists took to the streets on Sunday to protest government plans to legislate a roadmap for improved ties between the government, labor and management, police said.
The mass rally, organized by the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), caused traffic contestion in downtown Seoul as some 3,000 protesters marched about 3 kilometers, chanting slogans like "Annul horsetrading! Stop the crackdown on the government workers' labor group!" Poice reported no clashes with the demonstrators. About 80 companies of riot police were mobilized to maintain law and order.
In a statement, the KCTU, one of the country's two umbrella labor unions, expressed concern that the government-led roadmap would restrict basic labor rights and complicate efforts for economic democratization.
Last month, Labor Minister Lee Sang-soo announced that the government will push for legislation aimed at introducing a roadmap for improved ties between labor, management and the government, even if the three sides fail to produce a unified draft.
In protest against what it calls the government's hostile policy toward labor, the KCTU withdrew from an International Labor Organization (ILO) meeting held in South Korea's southern port city of Busan in late August.
Seoul, Sept. 17 (Yonhap News)
Thousands of activists protest gov't roadmap for labor relations |
