[Reporter’s Notebook] The 1st Labor Union’s Neglect of Responsibility in Forcing Another Rally

On the afternoon of the 3rd of this month, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a nationwide workers' rally, occupying the road in Jongno 3-ga to demand a complete revision of the labor law. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jeong] The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) is staging another rally on the 23rd. The KCTU Public Transport Workers' Union will hold gatherings of 100 people each at eight locations in Wonju, Gangwon Province, including in front of the National Health Insurance Service in Wonju, with a total of 800 participants. They are demanding the direct employment of customer center counselors. The day before, Wonju City raised social distancing to level 3 and allowed only one-person protests. The KCTU responded, stating, "According to Wonju City's quarantine guidelines (before the 22nd), we decided to hold gatherings of fewer than 100 people, and the distance between the reported sites is 500 meters." They added a caveat that they might cancel the rallies if their demand for direct employment is met, but this is an unrealistic claim.

On the 3rd, the KCTU forcibly held a rally in downtown Seoul with about 8,000 participants (organizer's estimate). Three confirmed COVID-19 cases emerged from this rally. The day before, the health authorities reported the results for 4,171 participants at the rally: 3,781 tested negative, 391 results are pending, and no additional confirmed cases have been reported. Although the health authorities requested the submission of the full list of attendees, regarding the approximately 3,800 people whose negative status has not been confirmed, they only stated that they are "conducting further verification." It has been a week since the first confirmed case related to the July 3 rally was reported. There is no guarantee that no COVID-19 cases will emerge among the remaining 3,800 people who have not yet been confirmed.

If the COVID-19 outbreak does not subside, the daily lives of low-wage workers exposed to employment insecurity and infection risks will be destroyed. With daily new COVID-19 cases exceeding 1,800 and concerns about the collapse of the medical system at the frontlines of quarantine, prioritizing quarantine measures is the minimum responsibility as members of our society. Self-employed individuals, who have been directly hit by COVID-19, also could not hold gatherings where people assemble and instead held car protests. The KCTU has become the largest trade union with over 1.1 million members. It must demonstrate responsibility commensurate with its status.