Labor group vows all-out walkout against gov't-led labor reform

SEOUL, Jan. 23 (Yonhap) -- A major South Korean labor organization on Saturday threatened to stage an all-out strike against government-led labor reform that it claims will only result in poorer working conditions for workers.

The walkout will be staged from Monday and last indefinitely, said the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of two umbrella labor groups here.

The announcement came one day after the labor ministry said it will go ahead with the proposed labor reform despite a recent collapse of three-way talks that also involve management and labor.

The Federation of Korean Trade Unions, the larger of the two umbrella labor groups that represented labor in the tripartite discussions, walked away from the talks earlier in the week, also declaring all its earlier agreements on labor reform void.

"The government guideline on the retrogressive revision to the labor law, announced Friday, is an administrative dictatorship and a disaster that will allow easier lay-off of workers and change employment regulations for the worse," the KCTU said.

The group said it has also delivered a guideline to all its member unions to hold indefinite walkouts, along with daily rallies.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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