Umbrella union chief vows all-out fight against Yoon's labor reform push

All News 14:33 February 08, 2023

SEOUL, Feb. 8 (Yonhap) -- The chief of a major umbrella labor union vowed Wednesday to stage a nationwide rally in May and a large-scale general strike in July in a bid to fight labor market reforms being pushed by the Yoon Suk Yeol government.

The announcement by Yang Kyung-soo, the chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), came as the government has promised to introduce sweeping labor market reform measures, including allowing employers more flexibility in complying with the compulsory 52-hour workweek.

The government is also seeking to revise relevant laws to beef up its oversight of labor unions' accounting practices.

Calling such reform plans "retrogression," the KCTU chief said his organization will stage an all-out fight against the government and launch a nationwide labor rally in May and a two-week general strike in July.

The KCTU will mobilize 200,000 workers for the May rally and nearly 400,000 for the July walkout, he said.

The union chief also accused the government of "labor repression" and proposed Yoon or Labor Minister Lee Jeong-sik hold a live televised debate with him about "genuine" labor reforms.