[Opinion] KCTU Losing Support

The result of a survey conducted on December 21 by the Kolon Labor Union, a member of Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), was astonishing.

754 out of 790, or 95.4 percent, answered yes to a question asking about whether they would support a withdrawal from the KCTU. It demonstrates widespread mistrust and anti-KCTU sentiment among regular labors toward the KCTU, which has been harshly criticized for frequent militant strikes.

The labor union was confronted with management over its restructuring last year. However, with the ruling of national labor relations commission that a lay-off was legal, a new steering commission was launched with a stress on a win-win strategy last July. It was an early sign of the withdrawal.

On December 7, a leading militant labor union of Daelim Industrial Company decided on dissolution. With the withdrawal from KCTU last May, its 1,500 members strongly opposed the KCTU’s use of members for their political gains. They said, “Dismantlement is better.”

The withdrawal domino effect starting from Taekwang Industrial Co., Daehan Synthetic Fiber Co., and Hyosung in 2002 was joined by GS Caltex and Hyundai Heavy Industries is currently ongoing.

Labor experts say that the political propaganda of KCTU, such as the opposition against an FTA with the U.S., is only fuelling mistrust and anger among unit labor groups favoring welfare and benefits of members.

The KCTU, with lots of labor unions and large businesses onside, is likely to lose its influence as core labor unions like industrial and regional unions walk away from it, however. “Without significant change in its policy line and way of strikes, its collapse is a matter of time as labor unions likely to walk away in addition to losing the people’s mandate due to illegal street demonstrations,” experts pointed out.

The Kolon Union announced, “We withdrew from the KCTU as we acknowledged that a prolonged strike has led to deficits and mass lay-offs. We mark the end of Kolon’s lost 10 years.” However, a spokesman of KCTU said, “It is a withdrawal caused by the fault of the former administration in KCTU.”

As youth employment is over 400,000 and the economic engine is running out of its steam, the KCTU now stands at a crossroads. Collapse or restructuring, it is up to it.

Gwon Soon-taek, Editorial Writer, maypole@donga.com