By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter


The Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU) said Wednesday it will go on general strike on Monday as scheduled, despite a government crackdown on its move to block labor bills aimed at banning unionized civil servants from engaging in collective action.

``We will press ahead with a general strike and strive to achieve basic labor rights of civil servants regardless of the circumstances,’’ a union official said during a press conference at its headquarters in Seoul.

The union’s move came one day after police disrupted the voting of union members at 172 of 207 KGEU chapters nationwide that would have decided whether to wage a general strike. The KGEU however said its top decision-making body in August unanimously agreed to hold a strike in November and the decision was still valid.

``Most of our 140,000 members will join the strike after participating in a demonstration organized by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in Seoul on Sunday,’’ the statement said.

The civil servants’ union is facing increasing public criticism for its move to stage a strike like ordinary company workers. Opinion polls show over 80 percent of the population is opposed to public employees going on strike, with critics saying a walkout by public workers may disrupt administrative services.

An intensifying internal feud among KGEU chapters over the methodology of its struggle against the government and how to secure labor rights also bodes ill for the strike plan. Several chapters have seceded from the union, blaming union leadership for going ahead with the strike despite a lack of support among the public.

Recent conflict has been developing into an all-out war between labor groups and the government, with the country’s two umbrella labor unions _ the KCTU and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) _ joining forces to demand broader labor rights.

The two labor unions said on Tuesday they would begin a general strike as soon as the Labor Ministry pushes four labor bills through the National Assembly for legislation.

New regulations in the labor bills include the banning of strikes for government employees and the limiting of the labor rights of irregular workers. Unions have claimed that if enacted, the labor bills would worsen the employment conditions of irregular workers and bring severe punishment to striking civil servants.

The Labor Ministry said earlier it would present the bills to the Assembly early as this week, but the schedule may be delayed due to strong opposition from labor groups.

On Tuesday, police stormed the voting places of KGEU chapters and apprehended dozens of union members protesting the crackdown. The union’s two leader _ chairman Kim Young-gil and senior official Ahn Byung-soon _ are facing arrest for masterminding the strike and organizing illegal demonstrations.

jj@koreatimes.co.kr