[Via... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Downwithcapitalism <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, June 11, 2001 6:18 PM Subject: [downwithcapitalism] KCTU leads general strike in S. Korea Korea Herald. 11 June 2001. Labor group goes on strike today. Ignoring the government's plea for restraint, unionized workers at 125 workplaces affiliated with a hard-line umbrella organization will go on strike today as planned to protest the government's corporate restructuring and demand improved working conditions, including a double-digit wage hike, organizers said yesterday. At a press conference, Dan Byung-ho, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), said that over 55,000 workers from 125 firms will stage a walkout today. About 11,000 hospital workers will join the walkout tomorrow, Dan added. Along with a 12.7 percent wage hike, the KCTU is also calling for the introduction of a five-day week, an improved status for part-time workers and a right for civil servants to organize. At the center of the collective action is the pilot's union of Korean Air (KAL) and non-pilot union of Asiana Airlines, raising concerns over what could become the nation's first aviation crisis. The planned strike by members of the Korean Federation of Hospital Workers' Union is also feared to inconvenience the public [read: capitalist profits]. Amid mounting tension, the government issued a statement early in the day, appealing to the labor circles to exercise restraint in consideration of the nation's adverse economic and weather conditions. The government, meanwhile, reconfirmed its resolve to permit legitimate strikes but to deal sternly with illegal strikes in accordance with the law. It warned that harsh disciplinary measures, including prosecution, will be meted out to those who are found to have led illegal strikes. The government's hard stance comes as Korea is grappling with what is possibly the worst drought since the country began collecting data on precipitation levels in 1904. Korea is also still coping with the effects of a currency crisis which hit the nation in late 1997 [which cannot be blamed on nature but, rather, the logic of capitalism itself]. * * * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
