hankyoreh

Tension escalated between labor and the government Thursday as police poised to arrest leaders of a national metalworkers' union on the fourth consecutive day of their walkout opposing a pending free trade deal between South Korea and the United States.

The Korean Metal Workers' Union (KMWU), South Korea's largest single union, carried out a four-hour work stoppage on Thursday, following two-hour daily strikes from Monday through Wednesday.

Nearly 40,000 members, about 27.1 percent of the 143,000-strong union, took part in the strike, the Labor Ministry said. The union put the figure at 110,000.

Thursday's strike was joined by unionists from Hyundai Motor Co., and Kia Motors Corp., two major pillars of the KMWU which stayed away from the action for the first three days.

South Korea and the U.S. wrapped up negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) deal in early April after 10 months. The agreement, expected to be signed in Washington on Friday, needs to be ratified by the legislative bodies of both countries. The unionized metal workers vow to block the deal, arguing that it will threaten their job security.

The government warned last week that stern measures will be taken against metalworkers who participate in what it called an illegal political strike with no connection to labor conditions.

A local court early Thursday issued arrest warrants for KMWU leader Chung Kap-deuk and 14 other union members for organizing illegal rallies for the past few days.

All assembly lines at Hyundai Motor's Ulsan plant were halted earlier in the day, but about 75 percent of the company's 44,000-member union returned to work later in the day, refusing to join the "political strike with no links to working conditions."

On Friday, metalworkers are scheduled to strike for six hours.

Hyundai Motor estimated the two-day strike will result in lost production of 4,893 vehicles worth 69.4 billion won (US$74.8 million). The company asked police to investigate as many as 20 union leaders for causing losses by launching the walkout.
SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap News)