Lee Jae-myung Criticizes "Yoon Government's Labor Oppression Rampage"

Democratic Party-Korean Confederation of Trade Unions High-Level Policy Council

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the labor policies of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration on the 12th, saying, "Considering the reality surrounding the labor community, it is very regrettable," and added, "The government's labor oppression is running rampant without brakes."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Lee said at the high-level policy consultation between the Democratic Party and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held in Yeouido, Seoul, "The anti-labor policies and behaviors of the government are seriously infringing on our labor rights," and emphasized, "We need to think together about how to overcome this situation."

He pointed out, "The martyr Yang Hoe-dong sacrificed his life due to indiscriminate demolition drives, and the government responded with violent suppression against workers demanding the guarantee of their right to live," adding, "It seems they still cannot abandon their obsession with the 69-hour workweek system that threatens the lives and health of the people."

Lee said, "Judging from their attitude so far, the Yoon Suk-yeol administration does not seem to recognize workers, who are also sovereign citizens, as dialogue partners. They are solely focused on establishing privileged policies for ultra-rich individuals and large corporations," and criticized, "It is a situation that raises suspicion whether the government's national agenda is only for the ultra-rich and large corporations."

He continued, "The Democratic Party will strengthen solidarity and cooperation with the KCTU to counter the government's labor oppression and reckless labor reforms," and stressed, "We will firmly establish institutional foundations for respecting labor in the National Assembly in the second half of this year."

Specifically, he explained that they aim to achieve results in strengthening basic labor rights for workplaces with fewer than five employees and legislating the principle of equal pay for equal work of equal value. He also stated that efforts will be made to amend the Trade Union Act to guarantee workers' legal right to strike.

Kim Dong-myung, chairman of the KCTU who attended the consultation, advocated for the passage of the amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Trade Union Act (the Yellow Envelope Act) submitted to the plenary session of the National Assembly by July, legislation to protect workplaces with fewer than five employees, and institutionalization of the principle of equal pay for equal work.

He said, "The bloody suppression incident in Gwangyang at the end of May and the suicide of construction union martyr Yang Hoe-dong are tragedies created by a turbulent era," and added, "Since the second half of this year is practically the last legislative session of the 21st National Assembly, we must definitely bring about results on major labor legislative tasks."

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