hankyoreh

Dec. 2.

Speaking in reference to the recent Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU) strike, President Lee Myung-bak said on Wednesday, “While young people of the world are wandering the streets without jobs, these people whose jobs are guaranteed when the economy is in trouble are conducting a strike.” He added, “South Korea may be the only country in the world where people are striking like this.”

While visiting the situation room of the KORAIL headquarters in Seoul on Wednesday, President Lee received a report on the strike and railway operation situation from Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs Chung Jong-hwan, among others. In response he said, “We cannot have them striking at a time when the entire nation is competing to restore the economy.”

He went on to make it clear that he views the KRWU strike as “illegal.” Lee said, “No matter what happens, I think that the law should be observed.” Lee added, “If the law is not observed, things like this will continue to happen.”

President Lee’s unscheduled visit took place during his visit to the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province areas, the Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) said. Cheong Wa Dae Spokesperson Park Sun-kyu said, “Some people are saying that the government is being ‘too hardline,’ but President Lee’s unswerving principle is that while he can understand legal strikes, illegal actions must be met with a resolute response.”

Park added, “When President Lee said ‘there can be no suitable compromise when it comes to a highly important national issue,’ that applies to labor-management relations as well.”

Meanwhile, some observers are saying that President Lee is making finding a solution to the situation more difficult by repeatedly calling the KRWU strike illegal and by underlining the need for a stern response. Previously at a Nov. 28 workshop on the advancement of public institutions President Lee said, “It is difficult for the public to comprehend a public company union striking, nor should they comprehend it.” He added that he did not see the possibility of a compromise.

Cho Kyung-bae, professor of labor law at Soonchunhyang University, said, “The strike is legal and is in line with both procedures and goals, and the right to collective action, such as a strike, is a fundamental Constitutional right.“ Cho added that President Lee’s remarks “ignore the Constitutional values of the three major labor rights, which makes it seem like the legacy of the military government, which viewed all strikes as illegal, has established itself within President Lee’s administration.”

Cho also said that President Lee’s instructions of not compromising and his attribution of blame to the labor side of the labor-management dispute are essentially messages to KORAIL not to engage in dialogue with the labor union. Cho suggests, “If this is the case, KORAIL is losing room to move around and the situation will only deteriorate further.”

Lee Byoung-hoon, head of People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy’s (PSPD) labor society committee, said that the recent labor-management conflict “has been aggravated by the administration’s unilateral pursuit of advancing public institutions.”

Lee added, “The Lee government is blaming everything on the union, while failing to present any adequate job measures itself.” Lee said, “It appears that like U.S. President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, President Lee is intending to lead the way in a full-scale government attempt to tame the unions.”

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