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28 July, 2005
Both South Korea’s national centers are ready for a general strike in early July if the ruling Uri Party pushes through a non-regular workers’ bill, aimed at undermining workplace rights and union protections. Members of the Democratic Labor Party, backed by trade unions, have staged sit-ins in the Assembly to block the measure, which would give companies in 26 business sectors the right to extend contract or agency labour for up to three years.
The FKTU is joined by the larger and generally more conservative Korean Federation of Trade Unions in calling for the general strike. “The Parliamentary committee on labor and environmental issues is poised to railroad the bill as drafted by government regardless of the argument made during the three-party negotiations. We will not hesitate to launch a general strike,” FKTU said in a statement.