One of the nation’s two major umbrella labor unions has announced it will go on a general strike.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) on Tuesday held a press conference in front of the National Assembly and declared a walkout involving its one-point-one million members to achieve their demands to the government, including enhanced workplace safety, expanded workers’ rights and calls against industry privatization.
The declaration of the general strike came after several individual labor groups belonging to the umbrella union announced their respective walkout plans, starting with those by the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union on Wednesday.
The strike also involves the Cargo Truckers Solidarity, which remains adamant it will go on a strike from Thursday despite the government and the ruling People Power Party’s move to accept some of their demands regarding the safe trucking freight rates system.
Collective action by non-regular workers in the public sector and schools, as well as subway and railroad workers are also being planned to be staged later this week and next week, respectively.