Business Community: "Minju Nochong Must Stop Groundless 'Illegal Political Strikes'"

The business community has defined the general strike by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) as an "unjustified illegal political strike" and urged the strike to be halted.

On the 3rd, the six major economic organizations representing the domestic business sector (Korea Employers Federation, Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Korean Industries, Korea International Trade Association, Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, Korea Federation of Medium-sized Enterprises) issued a joint statement condemning the KCTU's general strike.

First, the six economic organizations pointed out, "In this general strike, the KCTU is putting forward demands such as 'regime resignation, blocking labor reform, and stopping the discharge of Fukushima contaminated water,'" adding, "These are political demands that cannot be the purpose of a strike, and the KCTU's general strike is an illegal strike that has lost its legitimacy."

They added, "This general strike involves unions in the manufacturing sector, which forms the backbone of our economy, as well as unions in hospitals and service sectors that closely affect public health and daily life, so significant difficulties are expected for the economy and the daily lives of the people."

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions held a press conference on the morning of the 3rd in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, declaring the start of a general strike.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Furthermore, the six economic organizations emphasized that the KCTU's "illegal strike" must be dealt with strictly to restore the foundation of the rule of law in industrial sites. The six organizations stated, "Some unions did not go through labor commission mediation and strike approval votes, making it clearly an illegal strike procedurally."

They continued, "We must carefully examine the main demands of the unions and the progress of negotiations, and if the strike is not justified or has not reached a labor dispute, administrative guidance decisions must be issued." Additionally, the six organizations added, "We must respond with a zero-tolerance policy to illegal acts such as violence, police line violations, and illegal occupations occurring during this rally."

The KCTU will begin a two-week general strike from this day until the 15th. The main themes and goals of the KCTU's general strike are spreading public sentiment for the resignation of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, raising the minimum wage and legislating the 'Yellow Envelope Act,' stopping Japan's ocean dumping of nuclear contaminated water, opposing union suppression and labor deterioration, and blocking pro-chaebol and anti-labor rampages.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.