The government will deal sternly with an umbrella labor union's strike planned for this week, the top economic policymaker said Wednesday, calling the industrial action illegal.

The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions, one of the nation's two major umbrella unions, is scheduled to hold a nationwide walkout on Friday in protest over a government push to ease rules on the firing of employees and cut pension benefits.

Speaking at a meeting of economy-related ministers in Seoul, Finance Minister Choi Kyung-hwan said that the strike is a protest against government policy and has nothing to do with improving labor conditions for employees.

"If a strike takes place, the government will take immediate legal action," the official warned.

The government is committed to pushing forward key reforms in the labor market aimed at helping young people find work, resolving uncertainties surrounding standard wages and reducing overall working hours, he said.

Extending the country's retirement age will be linked to the introduction of a wage peak system that can be a win-win arrangement for both older and younger generations, Choi added.

"The goal is to pass labor-related bills through parliament this month," Choi said. "Timing is extremely important. Further delays will adversely affect expectations for an economic recovery."

If labor unions want to do the right thing and tackle critical issues such as youth unemployment, they should try to engage in constructive dialogue, he said.

Earlier this week, the labor ministry made clear that staging a strike over government policies or future legislative action is not allowed under the country's labor law.

The KCTU insists that the government is trying to implement changes that will worsen labor market conditions and hurt the livelihoods of ordinary citizens.

The upcoming strike aims to halt the government's push, the labor union said, adding that it will use the walkout to compel the government to raise minimum pay to 10,000 won ($9.20) per hour and compel it to respect basic labor rights.

The KCTU said some 70 percent of its members will join the one-day walkout, with teachers, government employees, metal and construction workers as well as those in the clerical and service sectors to participate. (Yonhap)