KCTU Calling for Solidarity
Posted on August 5, 2008
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has issued a call for solidarity after the South Korean government issued warrants for, or detained the KCTU’s leadership.
We believe that “fundamental objective of the trade union movement should be to ensure the development of the social and economic well-being of all workers”. And it should be noted that wider socio-economic issues related to globalization affect directly or indirectly social and economic conditions of workers.
KCTU general strike on July 2nd was aimed at renegotiation of April 18 protocol on US beef import, stopping privatization and marketization of public services, opposition to the plan of building Korea Grand Canal, and taking appropriate measures to solve the soaring consumer prices. We believe that these issues are clearly related to social and economic well-being of workers and their families so as to be the aims of industrial actions.
The ILO strongly urges that no one should receive criminal sanction or be deprived of their freedom for the fact of simply exercising the right to strike. And in particular, the ILO has recommended continuously that South Korean government “adopt a general practice of investigation without detention of workers and bring section 314 of the Penal Code (obstruction of business) in line with freedom of association principles.”
