The heads of the country’s two major umbrella labor groups met with the chief of the International Labor Organization(ILO) in Switzerland and called for a strong message in response to the government’s approach to labor.

According to labor groups, Yang Kyeung-soo, head of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), and Ryu Ki-seob, the secretary general of the Federation of Korean Trade Unions(FKTU), met with ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo on Sunday on the sidelines of the organization’s 111th annual conference in Geneva.

In the meeting, Yang criticized the government for its hostile and strict labor policy, adding that labor-management relations are worsening to the levels seen during the dictatorship 30 years ago.

Ryu said that the government is only attacking labor unions without applying the same strict standards to illegal acts by employers, urging the ILO to send a strong message on the violent crackdown and oppression of labor unions.

The ILO director-general reportedly said that he was surprised to hear about the government’s crackdown on the truckers’ strike last year and has since been closely watching the situation in South Korea, adding that he realized it is a very serious situation after listening to the two officials.

Yang delivered a speech on the country’s labor conditions at the conference on Monday, mentioning the death of a unionized construction worker who set himself on fire on Labor Day and criticizing the government for unilaterally pushing ahead with revisions to labor laws.