Feminist bodies urge immediate passage of revised maternity protection law

Women`s organizations Wednesday reacted strongly to a decision of the ruling coalition to defer the implementation of the revised maternity protection law for two years.

The Solidarity for Revising Labor Law for Women that has been pushing to amend the maternity law, denounced in a statement on Wednesday morning the accord on postponement, thought to be a tactic of self-interested political parties and the business sector.

The organization criticized the five organizations of industrialists for overestimating the cost of improved entitlements for women at 850 billion won, the United Liberal Democrats (ULD) for opposing the revised legislation, the labor ministry for its claim on the financial drain for employment insurance, and the Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) and the Grand National Party for delaying the law`s enforcement on the pretext of the ULD`s reluctance, even after budgetary appropriations have been secured. It warned the three political parties and their lawmakers will face the consequences of going against their campaign promises made during the last general elections.

Chung Kang-Ja, leader of the Women`s Popular League, said utilization of womanpower should be a primary policy consideration for the nation and the government and that the business sector should have known better than to pursue their interests.

In the afternoon, some 70 members of the league staged a protest rally in front of the MDP building in Yoido, asking for a meeting with the party leader Kim Joong-Kwon but their request was not granted. They left after an hour-long face-off with riot police, proceeding to the National Assembly to attend its environment-labor committee meeting.

Suh Young-A sya@donga.com