[Via Communist Internet... http://www.egroups.com/group/Communist-Internet ] . . ----- Original Message ----- From: Downwithcapitalism <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2001 3:28 AM Subject: [downwithcapitalism] S. Korea gen. strike - day 2 begins Associated Press. 12 June 2001. Korean Labor Protests Escalate, Joined by Hospital Workers SEOUL -- Thousands of nurses and hospital workers walked off their jobs Wednesday, escalating a day-old nationwide strike that has hobbled South Korea's two airlines. After overnight negotiations with their unions broke down, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines said they had to curtail by more than half their scheduled flights for a second straight day. The protests were part of a nationwide strike called by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, an umbrella labor group, to press demands for higher wages and better working conditions. The confederation, which has been responsible for many violent protests, predicted that the second-day of the strike would be bigger than the first-day walkout which it claimed drew 55,000 workers from 125 locations. Strike organizers said 10,000 nurses, clerks and utility workers at 50 general hospitals in Seoul and elsewhere were scheduled to join the nationwide strike by June 20. [N.B.] Despite the strike, essential staffers will continue to operate in emergency and delivery rooms and intensive care units, they said. In addition to financial benefits, workers complain that corporate reforms, pushed by President Kim Dae-jung, are causing mass layoffs. Besides the airlines, most of the other work sites affected by the indefinite walkout were in the metals and chemical industries. The focus of the labor protests was seen as the participation of the pilots' union of Korean and Air and the non-pilot union of Asiana Airlines which sought wage hikes of up to 21 percent. For the second straight day on Wednesday, Korean Air, the nation's largest carrier, canceled 66 of its scheduled 356 domestic and international flights. Asiana's international flights were unaffected but its domestic flights were cut by half. Korean Air also canceled 17 of its 22 international cargo flights on Wednesday. No serious confusion was reported at airports, however, as many passengers changed or canceled their reservations in anticipation of the strike. State prosecutors, armed with court-issued warrants, were trying to arrest 14 Korean Air union leaders. * * * * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
