[The Editors' Verdict] What the Health and Medical Workers' Union General Strike Left Behind

Kyung-ho Lee, Head of Bio Startups and Ventures Division

The Health and Medical Workers' Union under the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) ended its industry-wide general strike, which began at 7 a.m. on the 13th, at 5 p.m. on the 14th. This general strike, the first in 19 years, involved approximately 45,000 union members from 140 workplaces across 122 branches. Unions from over 20 tertiary general hospitals nationwide, including Kyung Hee University Hospital, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University Guro Hospital, Ewha Mokdong Hospital, Hanyang University Hospital, Ajou University Hospital, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, and Pusan National University Hospital, also participated in the strike. The union demanded ▲ full expansion of integrated nursing care services ▲ institutionalization of a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1 to 5 ▲ expanded support for infectious disease-dedicated hospitals in recovery phases due to COVID-19 response ▲ and expansion of public healthcare.

The union initially stated that if their demands were not met, they would enter an indefinite general strike after the 15th. On the 13th, Na Sun-ja, Chairperson of the Health and Medical Workers' Union, said, "If the government does not present a progressive and practical solution, we will proceed with an indefinite strike." However, as confusion and disorder arose in medical settings from the first day of the strike, the atmosphere changed. On the 14th, Chairperson Na apologized, saying, "We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to the public," and added, "To ensure that the inconvenience is not in vain, healthcare workers will normalize the healthcare system and improve the quality of medical services for patients."

The reason the general strike did not escalate to its worst outcome was due to the union’s pursuit of an exit strategy through appropriate justification and compromise, the government’s use of a hard-and-soft approach, and the role of the Central Labor Relations Commission in mediating between labor, management, and government. For the union, conducting a general strike in medical settings during a period of record-breaking heavy rains causing massive casualties could have resulted in severe backlash. During the strike period, three meetings with the government helped secure some justification. Had the government, which labeled the strike as a political strike, issued a return-to-work order and continued a strong confrontation, it might have provided grounds for an indefinite strike. During the strike, the National Medical Center and the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences reached agreements on collective bargaining at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission. The Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences agreed to implement the nurse-to-patient ratio standard, which was also a demand of the Health and Medical Workers' Union, according to the results of central negotiations. The successful negotiations at these two institutions were largely credited to Oh Gil-seong, a public commissioner at the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission and former KCTU member, and Hwang Bo-guk, the chairman of the Seoul Regional Labor Relations Commission.

This demonstrates that disputes can be resolved through objective and neutral mediators who engage in reconciliation, adjustment, and arbitration rather than through general strikes or lawsuits. Although the industry-wide general strike has ended, strikes at individual workplaces continue. At Pusan National University Hospital, about 80% of union members, excluding those on leave, including nurses, are participating in the strike. In some hospitals, labor and management are conducting on-site negotiations, including branches that declared strikes, so the strike status by hospital branch may change later. Kim Tae-gi, chairman of the Central Labor Relations Commission, said, "Among individual medical institutions, there have been quite a few pre-adjustment requests filed with the Labor Relations Commission, so there is no longer a need to worry about a hospital crisis."

The medical community has repeatedly resorted to strikes as a trump card whenever contentious issues such as the Nursing Act, Medical Service Act amendments, telemedicine, and increasing the number of doctors arise. This has been perceived as protecting vested interests rather than conducting strikes with proper procedures, legitimacy, and justification. Such strikes cannot be seen as negotiation cards but rather as threats holding public health hostage, which only alienates public sentiment. Strikes used as leverage in this way can never be a winning game from the start. Lee Kyung-ho, Head of the Bio-SME and Venture Department