Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions throw torn papers carrying the names of the ruling party's lawmakers who didn't vote at the impeachment motion last week, during a rally in front of the ruling People Power Party's head office in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Unions representing workers at some of the country’s largest companies such as auto factories, train operators, public schools and hospitals have threatened to strike as they push for President Yoon Suk-yeol to resign after he narrowly avoided impeachment over the weekend.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Union, the country’s largest umbrella union, asked its 1.2 million members to strike for “an indefinite period” to pressure Yoon to resign.
The group plans to hold a candlelight vigil every day in front of parliament.
Unions are seeking to leverage the political turmoil after Yoon briefly imposed martial law last week, before it was overturned by parliament.
He survived an impeachment vote last Saturday but is facing intense pressure to step down.
Unions have been more active during Yoon’s administration, after he made labour reforms a priority since taking office in May 2022, even as workers struggled to cope with high inflation and slow growth.
The Korean Metal Workers’ Union, which covers workers at Hyundai Motor Co’s factory in Ulsan and staff at steelmaker Posco Holdings Inc and shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co, plans to strike from tomorrow.
Workers at public trains and subways, who have been striking since before Yoon’s declaration of martial law, said they will “fight until the end”. Temporary workers at public schools and medical services have also threatened to join the action.
Truck drivers, who staged a strike that paralysed local supply chains in 2022, plan to hold a rally for a better wage plan, though they won’t strike for now, a spokesman said.
The unions of Samsung Electronics and other tech companies, including Kakao Corp and Naver Corp, have no plan to strike at the moment but may discuss it soon.
“This time is a great opportunity for unions,” said Park Sung-bok, a researcher at Pi-Touch Institute, a Seoul-based labour research organisation.
“Without striking, just threatening to do so can raise higher voices than before, especially if this political turmoil continues for a longer period. They could probably demand wage increases more than the previous years.” — Bloomberg
