Labor minister nominee opposes union move by public workers

By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- The labor minister nominee on Tuesday opposed a move
by several public workers unions to join an umbrella labor group, which he said
would lead them to take part in political activities.
"I cannot allow a highly probable situation in which public servants' unions will
get involved in political activities," Yim Tae-hee said in his confirmation
hearing.
"There is no legal regulation that bans a union from joining an upper-level
organization," he said. "But chances are high that the KCTU (Korean Confederation
of Trade Unions) will be involved in substantive political actions."
The three unions representing government workers -- the Korean Government
Employees' Union, the Korean Democracy Government Employees' Union and the Court
Government Employees' Union -- began voting Monday to choose whether to merge
into a single group and to join the KCTU, considered the more militant of the
country's two umbrella unions.
The results of the vote were expected between late Tuesday and early Wednesday.
Prime Minister Han Seung-soo expressed "serious concerns" at how the situation
was developing, reiterating that political engagement by public servants were
prohibited by law.
"If public servants participate in political or illegal activities while
neglecting their own duties, there will be a chilling effect on the national
effort to overcome the economic crisis," Han said at a ministerial meeting on
Tuesday.
The KCTU fired back, saying it will file a petition against Han as his comments
are tantamount to interference in the unions' voting process and activities.
The public servants' unions can join the KCTU if the motion is approved by more
than half of their members, but a merger requires approval by two-thirds of the
valid votes. A merger of the three unions would create a giant labor group of
some 115,000 members. The KCTU currently claims nearly 750,000 members.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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