hankyoreh

head of the Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU)

The Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU) announced the withdrawal of its strike on Dec. 3, the eighth day of the strike. KRWU members will return to work on Dec. 4.

Kim Gi-tae, head of KRWU, announced the withdrawal of the strike at an emergency press conference held at the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) headquarters located in Seoul’s Yeongdeungpo neighborhood at 6:00 p.m. on Dec. 3. Kim said, “We are returning to work so that we can further prepare for the struggle against the Lee administration and the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL).” Kim added, “We withdrew our strike that began as a result of our employer’s unilateral decision to terminate our collective bargaining agreement, and we will continue our fight in the workplace.”

KRWU launched the strike on Nov. 26, two days after the KORAIL announced its decision to terminate the collective bargaining agreement.

Kim also said, “The Lee administration and KORAIL have declared that the legal KWRU strike was illegal, and has moved to suppress the legal activities of the union.” Kim added, “We will be preparing for the next strike in our workplace.”

Experts are saying that because President Lee Myung-bak has urged the government to inflict a heavy-handed suppression of the strike, KWRU would face a severe blow if it decides to follow up with a longer-term strike.

One KORAIL official said, “It is fortunate that KWRU has decided to end its strike, however, we will not grant any requests for a dialogue from the union because it has not expressed its intention to give up its plans to consider launching another strike.” The official added, “KORAIL plans to file a lawsuit against KWRU.”

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