Statement on the government's "Roadmap for Industrial Relations Reform"

KCTU Hits:186476 2003.10.18 10:28
[Statement, 4th September 2003, KCTU]

Statement of KCTU Concerning the Government's "Roadmap for Industrial Relations Reform"


1. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) strongly warns that the "Roadmap for Industrial Relations Reform (hereafter, Roadmap)" of the Korean government announced on 4th September is nothing other than a roadmap that seeks to advance counteraction rights of employers while ignoring the core problems needed for reformation of industrial relations, one that will deteriorate industrial relations and aggravate industrial conflicts.
The KCTU cannot help but be concerned that unless the government makes an effort to revive the fallen confidence in its labour policies, goes back to the first intentions it had when it came into power, makes proposals that will achieve the balance of industrial power, the relationships between workers and the government and that with the employers can only be pushed into severe direct confrontation.

2. After making an overall assessment of the contents of the "Roadmap", we cannot but be appalled. Saying that it is an advancement of industrial relations when in fact it is a medicine for businesses, poison for workers is same as proclaiming that the Roh Moo-Hyun government is giving up prospects of any reform in labour policy. It is nothing other than a proclamation that it will return to the pro-business policies that are even worse than those of previous regimes.

Firstly, the Roadmap is filled with contents that make dismissals easier, strikes more difficult, while greatly strengthening counteraction rights of employers in order to weaken trade unions.

The clauses of the so-called "counteraction rights of employers" of the Roadmap will:

Make dismissals easier by:
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Total 99
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15 [ARTUSC] Japanese Militarization Trends and the Korean Peninsula Crisis, Trade Unions Response [14] KCTU 2003.11.13 171345
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10 [ARTUSC] Challenges of the Southeast Asian Trade Unions against the Regionalisation of Capital [12] KCTU 2003.11.12 171488
9 [ARTUSC] Opening Address : For the Unity and Solidarity of Asian Worekrs [13] KCTU 2003.11.12 174676
8 [ARTUSC] Final Statement and Action Plan of the Asian Regional Trade Union Solidarity Conference [13] KCTU 2003.11.12 190225
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