Metalworkers vow to strike against Korea-U.S. FTA next week

Posted on : 2007-06-19 20:53 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST

An umbrella labor association of the South Korean metalworkers vowed Tuesday to stage a strike next week to block the parliament's ratification of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.

The Association of Unions of Metalworkers told reporters the union would strike next week to scrap the bill on the bilateral trade agreement with the U.S., which they said weakens the rights of workers.

South Korea and the U.S. reached the landmark free trade pact in early April after 10 months of negotiations. The deal, expected to be signed by the two governments by the end of June, awaits ratification by their legislative bodies.

Civil activists argue that if the deal is adopted, it will devastate the livelihoods of farmers and workers by allowing in farm goods and other cheap U.S. products.

The association decided to hold the five-day strike from Monday to Friday next week.

However, critics say the strike will be illegal and only politically motivated, since the strike was not voted on by individual unions.

The association originally planned to hold a vote at its member unions this week for the proposed strike but decided not to, saying the voting would be difficult in many workplaces due to poor progress in labor-management negotiations.

SEOUL, June 19 (Yonhap News)

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