Gov¡¯t to get tough with bank strikers

The government and the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) Wednesday reconfirmed their hardline approach to dealing with the strike by unionized workers of Kookmin Bank and Housing & Commercial Bank (H&CB).

The ruling camp¡¯s reconfirmation came in a meeting between key post holders of the MDP and finance-labor related ministers. New MDP chairman Kim Joong-Kwon presided over the session, which was held at MDP headquarters.

The leaders of the government and MDP decided to keep to the principle of firmness, but to make plans to minimize the negative effect on bank employees of the proposed merger of the two banks.

Representing the government in the meeting were Finance-Economy Minister Jin Nyum, Labor Minister Kim Ho-Jin, Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Lee Keun-Young and Chang Young-Chul, chairman of the labor-management-government committee.

The party and the government also guaranteed no repercussions to union members who return to work by 9:30 a.m. Thursday, but vowed to take stern measures against those who refuse to go back to work or obstruct other¡¯s efforts to return.

They shared the view that the best way to normalize the banks is to increase the number of employees by drawing on unionists who were dispersed by riot police during their sit-in rally.

They decided to consider placing advertisements in newspapers appealing to bank employees to return to work.