For the Right to Existence of Workers

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) launched a sit-in on Nov. 23 in demand of the right to existence of workers. At a press conference in front of the National Assembly building, the KCTU declared that it is starting a sit-in for the realization of five priority tasks, the abolition of evil labor law and enactment of the law on labor reform. The five priority tasks are aimed to build anti-labor society served for capitalism and the government into a fair one, they said, contending that it is an obligation of the government to ensure sure guarantee of three-point labor rights.   The speakers demanded the immediate revision of labor law including the law on trade unions in order to build society where labor is respected and the right to the activities of trade unions is guaranteed. The KCTU made public a press release. A press release made public there declared that they would strongly protest and denounce those political parties and NA members who take the lead in retrogressive revision of labor law or who stand against the abolition of evil law on labor and the enactment of a bill on labor reform. More than 20 000 construction trade unionists across south Korea staged a large-scale protest in Seoul on Nov. 28 in demand of revision of the law on construction workers and guarantee for labor rights. The chairman of construction trade unions raised his voice that the workers have been taken in by the parliament and government for a decade, the parliament has made the "draft revision of the law on construction workers" a mere scrap of paper and they would revise the law by their concerted efforts. Eighteen days have passed since the vice chairman of the construction trade unions and a head of branch in Gwangju launched a sit-in atAd Tower in Youido The vice chairman of the construction trade unions said that two workers are killed every day at construction workplaces, let us make our utmost efforts to build a society where the workers are respected.    On the same day, the KCTU held an emergency rally against the retrogressive revision of the "Labor Standards Act".