KCTU Requests ILO Intervention in Cargo Solidarity Strike Situation... "Implement the Convention"

On the sixth day of the Cargo Solidarity general strike on the 12th, new Kia export cars that could not be moved to the port are temporarily parked in the parking lot of Gwangmyeong Speedom in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has requested the International Labour Organization (ILO) to intervene in the strike situation of the Cargo Solidarity Headquarters (Cargo Solidarity), a subordinate organization of the Public Transport Union under the KCTU.

The KCTU announced on the 12th that it sent a letter on the 10th requesting the ILO's intervention regarding the government's refusal to recognize the Cargo Solidarity's 'freedom of association' and collective bargaining rights.

The government views the Cargo Solidarity's strike as a 'collective refusal of transportation.' Since cargo drivers are considered self-employed workers (special-type workers) rather than laborers, and Cargo Solidarity cannot be regarded as a labor union, the government's position is that this action cannot be seen as a 'strike' protected under labor law.

The KCTU stated, "The government has assumed the Cargo Solidarity's strike to be an illegal act and deployed public authority," adding, "The rights of labor unions under ILO Conventions No. 87 and 98 are not being guaranteed, so ILO intervention is necessary." They further emphasized, "As a member state of the ILO and a ratifier of both conventions, the government must properly fulfill its obligations to comply with the conventions."

ILO Convention No. 87 guarantees 'freedom of association and protection of the right to organize,' and Convention No. 98 covers 'the right to organize and collective bargaining.' Both conventions came into effect on April 20 of this year. The KCTU stated, "This Cargo Solidarity strike is the first case demonstrating whether the Korean government has the will to implement the two conventions."

Attention is focused on what measures the ILO will take in response to the KCTU's request for intervention. According to the KCTU, when the ILO Secretariat receives such requests from labor groups, it typically presents the ILO's principles to the government and requests the government's position.