New strikes to come in S. Korea

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 11, 2003

New strikes to come in S. Korea

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South Korea's most militant labor union vowed Monday to launch a new wave of strikes after a violent clash in the heart of Seoul in which scores were injured and protesters hurled petrol bombs at police.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Union, the country's most militant umbrella labor group, said it would follow up Sunday's rally of 35,000 unionists with a strike tomorrow and a series of protests through next month.

The unionists are pressing President Roh Moo-hyun, a former labor lawyer, to repeal laws that allow management to seize wages and assets from workers or sue over lost production or damaged property after illegal strikes.

Roh granted sweeping wage and working hour concessions to workers after summer walkouts in the transport and manufacturing sectors. But 132 unionists were arrested and unions have been sued for US$118.6 million in strike damages.

Roh condemned the violence by the unions, a key pillar of his political base as he faces a referendum on his rule. Roh called the confidence-vote, set for mid-December, after an aide was implicated in a political funding and bribery scandal.

It is still uncertain whether the referendum will go ahead, but the unions have threatened to make their support for him contingent on getting their way on the labor policy.

"It's not right for unions to try to resolve problems with illegal violent rallies," Roh's office quoted him as telling presidential secretaries.

"The government will make clear such actions will yield nothing," he said, adding that the door for talks was open.

Sunday's melee pitting unionists armed with iron poles and petrol bombs against riot police with shields and batons left 44 police injured, the police said in a statement. It was the first use of petrol bombs since March 2002, ending a tacit agreement not to use the weapons during protests.

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