Public workers' unions vote to join umbrella group

(ATTN: ADDS responses from political parties in last 3 paras)
SEOUL, Sept. 22 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's three labor unions of public workers
decided Tuesday to join an umbrella labor group after merging into a single
entity in a move likely to heat up the debate over their political neutrality.
The decision came after a two-day vote by the members of the trade unions -- the
Korean Government Employees' Union, the Korean Democracy Government Employees'
Union and the Court Government Employees' Union.
"A majority of union members approved proposals to form a single labor union and
join the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU)," the labor groups said at a
joint news conference.
According to a preliminary tally by the KCTU, 75 percent of the unions' 109,433
registered members cast ballots, with 89.6 percent voting for the merger and 68.3
percent agreeing to enter the KCTU. The unified public workers' union is slated
to set sail in December.
A merger of the three unions would create a giant labor group of some 115,000
members. The KCTU, the more militant of the country's two umbrella unions,
currently claims about 750,000 members.
The move is widely expected to heighten tension between the government and
unionized public workers over their participation in political activities, and
have an impact on the landscape of the labor circle.
At a Cabinet meeting earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo expressed
concerns over the unions' vote, saying it is not desirable for public workers to
seek to engage in political activities.
"Government employees should be guaranteed labor rights, but they should not
participate in political or illegal actions, which could throw cold water on
national efforts to ride out the economic crisis," he said.
South Korean law prohibits public servants from engaging in any political actions.
Government officials said they were investigating whether there were any
irregularities in the voting process.
"A probe was underway into alleged unfair practices during the voting process,
including voting by ineligible union members," said an official at the Ministry
of Public Administration and Security. "The government plans to discipline those
who are confirmed to be involved in improprieties."
The government will also come up with a separate measure to deal with the unions'
decision to join the KCTU, he added.
Political parties showed mixed reactions to the unions' move.
Terming the decision an act defying a constitutional duty that requires
government employees to remain politically neutral, the ruling Grand National
Party said the government should get tough on the unions if they engage in
law-breaking activities.
However, the main opposition Democratic Party said it respects the decision by
the public workers' unions and expects them to hew to the duty of political
neutrality and engage in legitimate activities.
(END)