KCTU: "Police Returning to the Era of Public Security"

by Kong Byeongseon

Published 11 Jan.2023 11:28(KST)

Updated 11 Jan.2023 12:56(KST)

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Members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a rally in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on December 27 last year, urging amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act (Trade Union Act).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) has protested against the police's suppression of labor unions, accusing them of aligning with the current government's anti-labor policies.

On the 11th, the Joint Countermeasure Committee Against Suppression of the KCTU Construction Union and Cargo Solidarity (Joint Committee) held a press conference titled "Condemning the Police Agency for Regressing to the Era of Public Security and Carrying Out Union Suppression" in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.

The Joint Committee stated, "We condemn the police for unjustly interfering in labor-management relations as henchmen of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration," adding, "They are now restricting union activities and even moving towards destroying unions." They also said, "While we do not condone illegal acts by some pseudo-unions, we will never tolerate attempts to regress to a public security era and annihilate unions by mobilizing public security agencies such as the police, as union activities are constitutionally guaranteed rights of workers."

They further announced that they will continue to respond to the Yoon government and the police. The Joint Committee said, "We will continue to jointly respond with labor, civil society, and political parties against the anti-labor and anti-union stance of the Yoon administration," urging, "The Yoon administration must immediately stop suppressing the Construction Union and Cargo Solidarity."