Jinseongjun "Government Makes No Effort to Resolve Situation"
Yeonhee Lee "Hope Yoon Is Impeached Soon and Labor Is Respected"
Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the site of the nationwide strike by the Korea Railroad Workers' Union (Railroad Union) and expressed support for 'workers' rights.' The Railroad Union's strike has entered its fifth day, with train operations running at about 70% of normal levels. However, negotiations between Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) management and labor have not taken place.
On the afternoon of the 9th, Lee visited the Railroad Union office at Yongsan Station in Seoul to hear the union's side. In his greeting to the union members, he said, "Thank you for being the feet of the citizens amid unstable labor conditions." He added, "We will actively work to play a certain role in negotiations between the union and the government to make discussions possible," and said, "Wouldn't it be most desirable if we could exclude disruptive actions that cause inconvenience to citizens and achieve results that lead to substantive negotiations?" Present at the site were Jin Seong-jun, chairman of the Policy Committee, and Democratic Party lawmakers from the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee.
On the afternoon of the 9th, marking the fifth day of the railway union strike, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited the Railway Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, and delivered opening remarks. On the right is Choi Myung-ho, chairman of the National Railway Workers' Union. Photo by the National Assembly Press Photographers Group
Lee said that "from the perspective of selling labor power, workers are always in the position of 'Eul (乙)' [the subordinate party], so workers are granted the rights to organize, collective bargaining, and collective action," but "workers in the public sector sometimes face conflicts between 'public interest' and 'improvement of labor conditions.'" He continued, "From the citizens' standpoint, immediate inconvenience can lead to complaints and dissatisfaction about the strike, and the government sometimes exploits this," adding, "Since workers are members of society and someone's family, it is desirable to understand the exercise of workers' rights."
Lee emphasized, "Ensuring a safe working environment is also the responsibility of the government as the user in the public sector," and said, "It is unfair to place the entire burden on the workers alone." He also stated, "Since South Korea is currently in a very unstable situation, even legitimate demands by workers seem likely to be disparaged as unfair," and added, "A world where labor is respected is not someone else's business." The union is demanding structural solutions to wage arrears and manpower shortages.
On the 5th, railway union members held a general strike kickoff rally near Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, demanding a 2.5% wage increase and the full implementation of the 4-shift, 2-team system. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung
Policy Committee Chairman Jin also spoke about the government's 'responsibility.' He said, "I express strong regret that the government has made no active efforts to resolve the situation," and criticized, "Especially with the Ministry of Economy and Finance creating guidelines for public institution operations, labor-management relations have become extremely rigid." Land Committee member Lee Yeon-hee, who visited together that day, also said, "I hope the Yoon Seok-yeol administration is impeached as soon as possible and that this becomes an opportunity to return to a 'labor-respecting society.'" She further criticized KORAIL management for not preparing measures to address the union's demands.
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