Large-Scale Rally Held and March Toward Presidential Office
Calls for Passage of the "Yellow Envelope Law"... "Constitutionally Guaranteed"
Tomorrow Is the Statutory Deadline for Next Year's Minimum Wage Deliberation
On June 28, one day before the statutory deadline for the Minimum Wage Commission to deliberate on next year's minimum wage, members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) gathered in downtown Seoul to demand a significant increase in the minimum wage.
At around 3 p.m. that day, the KCTU held a large-scale rally near Sungnyemun in Jung-gu, Seoul, under the slogan "Increase the Minimum Wage, Secure Fundamental Labor Rights." According to unofficial police estimates, approximately 11,000 people participated in the rally. Participants held placards reading "Raise the Minimum Wage" and "Abolish Anti-Labor Policies Immediately," chanting slogans such as "Raise the minimum wage and secure fundamental labor rights" and "Apply the minimum wage and the Labor Standards Act to all workers."
On the 28th, participants hold related placards at the "Democratic Labor Union Rally for Minimum Wage Increase and Labor Rights" held near Sungnyemun in Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News
In his opening speech, KCTU President Yang Kyungsoo stated, "Even when there are wars abroad, the outbreak of COVID-19, rising raw material prices, and inflation, workers' wages have remained stagnant," adding, "A significant increase in the minimum wage is the only means to revive the economy and protect people's livelihoods."
At the rally, there were also strong calls for the passage of amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act, known as the "Yellow Envelope Law." Huh Won, Vice President of the Metal Workers' Union, said, "The current union law prevents us from even negotiating with the principal employer, thereby blocking the constitutionally guaranteed 'right to unionize' for all workers."
After the rally, the KCTU marched toward the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu and the National Policy Planning Committee in Jongno-gu.
Previously, on June 26, the Minimum Wage Commission held its seventh plenary session, but labor and management failed to reach a conclusion as they remained at odds over the minimum wage level. The next meeting is scheduled for next week, making it likely that the statutory deliberation deadline will be missed.
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