National Public Officials Union "83% Support Punishment and Dismissal of Minister Lee Sang-min"

Among 120,000 Union Members, About 38,000 Voted... Claiming 'Government Interference in Voting and Union Suppression'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Korean Government Employees' Union announced that over 83% of its members voted in favor of punishing and dismissing Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min in relation to the Itaewon tragedy.

On the 28th, the union held a press conference in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul, revealing the results of a vote conducted from the 22nd to the 24th among its members on seven policy items of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration. Approximately 38,000 out of 120,000 union members participated in the vote.

Among the participants, 83.4% of the total union membership supported the dismissal and punishment of Minister Lee Sang-min. Regarding the 1.7% salary increase for public officials next year, 86.4% expressed opposition. The union raised their voices, stating, "The Yoon government must withdraw its anti-labor and anti-livelihood policies and immediately dismiss and punish Minister Lee Sang-min."

Furthermore, 92.6% opposed the plan to reduce public official personnel, 89.7% opposed the income gap in the public officials' pension, 89.4% opposed the government's labor hour extension and differentiated minimum wage policies, and 87.9% and 89.0% opposed the public service privatization policy and the wealthy tax cuts along with welfare budget reductions, respectively.

Meanwhile, the union claimed that the fact that only one-third of the total membership participated in this vote was due to government interference and suppression of the union. Previously, the government prohibited the union's policy vote, citing that it violated public officials' duties such as the prohibition of collective actions.

In particular, before the vote began, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety sent official letters to each agency warning of strict measures against illegal acts, instructed local government heads to conduct duty inspections and on-site evidence collection during the vote, and decided to discipline participants.

In response, the union stated that the claim that these items are unrelated to public officials' working conditions is an arbitrary judgment.