Unionists march against labor policy

From news reports



Tens of thousands of workers rallied Saturday in Seoul against a government plan to clip union leaders` wages and allow multiple unions at a single workplace.

The workers from the Federation of Korean Trade Unions marched near the National Assembly, chanting slogans and waving banners, accusing the government of attempting to weaken trade unions.

Some shaved their heads in a show of determination.

"We will thwart the government`s policy by mobilizing every means possible. If necessary, we will stage a general strike," Kang Choong-ho, a spokesman for the FKTU, said after the rally.



Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, another umbrella labor group, also held a rally in Seoul yesterday to protest the government`s labor policy.

The Lee Myung-bak administration is seeking to put into practice revised labor laws next year to allow multiple unions to operate at a single workplace and to prohibit wages for union representatives who spend most of their company time doing union work. The law was proposed a decade ago, but has been delayed because of opposition from labor organizations.

The federation, which claims about 800,000 members nationwide, has warned it would hold a general strike in December unless the government scraps the plan.

There were no reports of violence between demonstrators and riot police during Saturday`s rally.

Police estimated around 60,000 people attended the protest while FKTU officials claimed some 150,000 protesters participated.