South Korean government will take tough actions on an auto and metal industry workers' strike against a free trade agreement with the United States scheduled for next week, the daily Korean Herald reported on Thursday.
The ministries of Labor, Justice and Commerce, Industry, and Energy will issue a joint statement to convey the government's firm stance on illegal protests involving a political issue unrelated to interest with union members, calling on the metal workers' union (KMWU) to withdraw the walkout plan, the report said.
The 143,000-member KMWU and its key member, Hyundai Motor Co.'s labor union, on Tuesday announced to conduct a vote to decide whether to stage a partial walkout from next Monday to Friday. South Korean leading business organizations said the strike might seriously damage the auto industry and the national economy.
South Korean unionized workers have been voicing concerns over the recent FTA deal with the United States, saying it could threaten their job security and weaken the Korean auto industry.
They also urged the management at four major automakers to accept the workers' demand for the legalization of industry-level negotiations, which will increase their bargaining power as a group.
Civic organizations and business groups are also calling for the withdrawal of anti-FTA strikes, expressing concerns that the strikes will put a damper on the momentum for economic recovery.
