KCTU elects a new president

Posted on : 2009-04-02 11:23 KST Modified on : 2009-04-02 11:23 KST
Workers ask new leadership to concentrate on solving critical irregular work issues
 Lim Seong-kyu.
Lim Seong-kyu.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU, Minju Nochong) elected Lim Seong-kyu, who had been heading the interim committee, as the new president of the KCTU in a by-election yesterday. The by-election was held just short of two months following the resignation of KCTU’s entire leadership who had stepped down to take responsibility for a sexual assault case involving a former senior official. The KCTU convened the 46th extraordinary session of delegates for elections for a new president and five other members of the executive committee at a stadium in Seoul’s Deungchon-dong, and they conducted a yea-nay vote on Lim as he was the sole contender. Out of 968 representatives, 591 or 61.1 percent voted.

For the new leadership of the KCTU, irregular workers emphasized that the only road for the union‘s rebirth is one where the KCTU demonstrates efforts to resolve matters regarding irregular workers, including temporary, contracted and outsourced workers. Lee Young-mi, 39, head of a group of irregular workers at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, warned, “Unless the new leadership cannot concentrate their effort to solve the difficulties facing irregular workers, the KCTU will lose their influence on labor issues.” She continued to say, “The problem is there is a lack of attention on these issues from union members who hold regular jobs. The KCTU leadership must let them know that more irregular work means less regular work and persuade them of the significance of solving this problem.”

Chungang University professor Lee Byung-hoon, who is also chairman of labor and society committee for the People‘s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, said, “The KCTU has failed to meet the imperative of ‘representing the weak laborers’ because of the vulnerability of the leadership and its dependence on regular jobs from big plants.” The professor added, “if the KCTU cannot meet the demand to change while we are in the midst of an economic crisis, it will be difficult for the union to recover.”

A laborer, who refused to give her name, said, ”At this point, the KCTU should change its male-dominated organizational culture.“

In response to the criticism that the KCTU hasn’t appropriately coped with the government’s moves to: revise the Irregular Worker Act by extending the working period of contractual and dispatched workers; change the Minimum Wage Act to exclude old workers from application of minimum wages; and cut the workforce at public firms, the new leadership has moved into a “fight” mode. Woo Moon-sook, a spokesperson at the KCTU, said, “The government and capital are expected to make a full-blown attack dealing out both an undesirable revisioning of the Irregular Worker Act, as well as corporate personnel reduction.” “While the term for this new leadership is short, we have no choice but to concentrate our power in order to prevent this from happening,” the spokesperson added.

Professor Lee said, “As job insecurity worsens, unionized workers prefer a functional union. On the contrary, KCTU has been perceived as weakened, and a third and new umbrella labor union has gained ground drawing workers.” In South Korea, the KCTU has represented the more progressive union of the nation’s two largest umbrella labor organizations, of which the Federation of Korean Trade Union (FKTU) is its conservative counterpart. Analysts suggest the new leadership faces a challenge to gather momentum for a fight at a time when its organizational reshuffling is not yet complete.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]