Korea Confederation of Trade Unions calls for mass demonstration today

By The Korea Post Reporter Park Ye-seon

Members of the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) will start a general strike beginning on Nov. 21, 2018. This was reported by Korean-language media this morning, including Korean-language business daily, Korea Economic Daily.

In protest against what they called “Expansion of Flexible Work-hour System,” the KCTU members will stage mass rallies in front of the National Assembly on the Yeouido Islet in Seoul and in a total of 13 other localities across the Republic of Korea.
This is the largest labor demonstration rally ever held since the birth of the Government of President Moon Jae-in.

Photo=Yonhap

The KCTU estimates that the rallies will be participated in by a total of some 40,000 members. However, other sources estimated that total number of participants in what some suspected “might develop into a general strike” could total over 160,000.
The KCTU workers on strike are expected to come off their places of work to take part in the demonstrations.

Originally, the slogans of the KCTU members were something like “Out with Bad Old Practices!” or “Give Us the Right to Operate as Union Members!” while others demanded “We Demand a Mass Social Reform!” However, they newly added another one, “Stop the Revision of Labor Law Provisions to Expand the Period of Resilient Work System.”

Reporter Park Ye-seon
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