Twenty-thousand South Korean transport and public sector workers hold strike rally protesting against actions of the government and call for better working conditions.
On Saturday 7 December, members of the Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union (KPTU) from across the transport industry and public sector gathered in front of the Korean National Assembly in a joint strike rally to protest the government and call for President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
Following the president’s surprise declaration of martial law on 3 December, which would have seen political activity, civil liberties and human rights severely curtailed, trade unions and transport workers have been central to protests and mass mobilisations against the government.
As well as calling for President Yoon to step down and condemning the government’s actions, KPTU-affiliated railway workers, who have been on an indefinite strike since 5 Dec, are demanding payment of owed wages, safer workplaces, increased staffing levels and the protection of trade union rights.
The KPTU has vowed to continue strike action and mass mobilisations for the foreseeable future. KPTU-affiliated truck drivers are planning another mass rally for 14 December, when another impeachment vote is scheduled.
In his speech at the rally, KPTU President Gilyong Eom, said:
"Korean railway workers began an indefinite strike on December 5th to protect rail safety and root out abuse of power by (the Yoon's administration's) Ministry of Economy and Finance. The reason we are taking strike action in the midst of this bitter winter is clear.
"For us, the three years since Yoon Suk Yeol took office have been marked by attacks on public services and labour rights from the very beginning."
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), of which KPTU are affiliates, has condemned Yoon’s government and thrown the full weight of its support behind the striking workers.
ITF General Secretary, Stephen Cotton, said: "The ITF is proud to stand with the transport workers, and all the trade unionists and workers in South Korea who are fighting to restore democracy.
"We know how much workers have suffered under Yoon’s repression of labour rights. Workers are now leading the way towards a democratic Korean society, where a safe railway, safe roads, safe workplaces and the respect of rights and freedoms will be possible."
In the days before Yoon's martial law declaration, South Korean truck drivers mobilised in front of the National Assembly for the reintroduction of the Safe Rates System, ended by the government in 2022.
In the current context, strike action has taken on new significance by tying workers' issues to the anti-democratic nature of the Yoon administration. Both the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) are calling for Yoon to step down.
ITF affiliates and other unions from around the world have sent solidarity messages pledging their support for Korean workers in their fight to restore democracy.
Messages of solidarity can be sent to inlandtransport@itf.org.uk
Photo courtesy of KPTU shows Saturday’s strike action. Signs call for increased rail safety and the resignation of Yoon Suk Yeol.
