Workers’ Protest Action

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions sponsored the 2017 Rally of Workers in Seoul on Nov. 12 demanding the authorities ensure the rights of workers and eradicate the evils of the south Korean society. More than 50 000 workers gathered at the plaza of the Seoul City Office. Speakers at the rally stressed that it is high time to launch campaign to eliminate evil practice in the labor field and ensure the rights of the workers. Speakers at the rally urged the regime to combat evils, reform the society, withdraw THAAD, bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and release the prisoners of conscience including the chairman of the Confederation. The acting chairman of the Confederation blamed that six months have passed since the new government appeared, however, nothing has changed as required by the candlelight demonstrators for eradicating 70-odd year deep-rooted evils and building a new society. If the authorities do not amend labor law for ensuring the rights of labor, the policy for “respecting labor” touted by the authorities is just a showy trinket, he warned. All conscientious prisoners and workers including the chairman of the KCTU should be released from prison. The chairman of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers’ Union declared that the union would launch a general strike on Nov. 24, saying that slogan of respecting labor has not yet been realized. The chairman of the Metal Workers Trade Union said not only the workers under the union but also all workers in the world would launch solidarity actions if the regime fails to grant an amnesty for the chairman of the Confederation. At the end of the rally they picketed in various parts of the city. Meanwhile, the vice chairman and workers of the construction trade union went on actions on the tower of advertisement near the National Assembly in demand of amendment of labor law on the evening of Nov. 11 and secretary of the metal trade union launched action on 75 meter-high chimney on the morning of Nov. 12 to demand dissolution of conglomerate and abolish the retrogressive labor law.