"Eradicating Illegal Union Activities Must Be the First Step in Labor Reform"
[Asia Economy Reporter Noh Kyung-jo] Construction workers are urging the cessation of illegal activities for private gain, stating that the level of union interference in construction work has gone too far.
The Korea Federation of Construction Organizations held a "General Rally of the Construction Industry to Eradicate Illegal Activities by Construction Unions" on the 6th at the Purmir Hotel Grand Conference Hall in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. This event was organized as a follow-up to the meeting on illegal activities at construction sites held on the 1st, driven by the urgent concern that the foundation of the construction industry could collapse due to union illegal activities.
The Korea Federation of Construction Organizations held a "General Rally of the Construction Industry to Eradicate Illegal Activities of Construction Unions" on the 6th at the Purmir Hotel Grand Conference Hall in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. / Photo by Geondanryeon
About 1,000 construction workers attending the event pointed out, "So far, unions have demanded money such as forcing the hiring of union members, union full-time fees, and monthly tower crane fees, and have harassed construction companies by disrupting construction sites to enforce these demands," adding, "The cartel of vested interests, which exerts influence over construction volume allocation and company selection, has become blatant, and its level has gone beyond limits."
They further stated, "The damage caused by this ultimately leads to increased sale prices, delayed move-ins, and safety risks, which directly affect the public," and added, "Government labor reform must start with eradicating illegal activities by construction unions."
Through the reading of a resolution, they pledged to ▲ report illegal activities by construction unions and cooperate fully with investigations ▲ work together with the government until common-sense rule of law is established at construction sites ▲ create social consensus so that illegal activities have no place and take the lead in establishing a safe construction culture.
Kim Sang-soo, chairman of the Korea Federation of Construction Organizations, said, "It is most important to establish institutional measures to claim damages from individual union members who commit illegal acts and to collect compensation," adding, "Union illegal activities delay construction periods, causing excessive work to make up for lost time, which is a major cause of various safety accidents. It is reasonable to offset the employer’s responsibility by the amount of worker negligence."
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