Taxis and Banks Will Participate in “30 Day Strike”

Taxi unions and bank unions except the Chohung Bank will join the general strike which is to be carried out June 30. So the total of some 300 unions and 200,000 people will participate in the strike, said the Federation of Korean Trade Unions said yesterday.

In addition, the Railway Workers` Union affiliated to the Korean Federation of Trade Unions said that it will go on a general strike from 4 a.m. of June 28.

According to the Federation of Korean Trade Union, senior members of Federation of Korean Taxi Workers` Unions, including Chairman Lee Nam-soon said on a visit to the Federation of Korean Trade Union that all the 100,000 union members will participate in the June 30 general strike to demand 5 working days, tax exemption of the LPG, and value-added taxes(VAT).

Earlier in the week, the Korea Financial Industry Union affiliated to the Federation of Korean Trade Unions made an application for a dispute mediation to the National Labor Relations Commission June 13 as the talks in which they demanded raising wages, revising the collective agreement, reinstating sacked employees were broke off. The union said it would also go on a general strike on June 30. The Union plans to have a vote for the trade dispute on every business until June 28.

Meanwhile, the Railway Workers` Union had a demonstration in front of the Kookmin Bank, Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul while 1,000 union members attended and decided to go on a general strike 4 pm, June 28.

“The government said that it will make a law for the railway structure reform based on the agreement made by the labor and management. But it is not carrying out the promise. So we decided to go on a strike,” said the Railway Union.

The union urged sincere observance of the April 20 agreement, carrying out the railway reform according to the agreement made by the union and management, making special construction acts and reflecting the organization of the joint board of the labor and management.

The bill for the railway industry general act which deals with establishment of Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp, separate management of the facilities of the National Railroad Administration is pending in the national assembly.

Kyung-Joon Chung Jae-Seong Hwang news91@donga.com jsonhng@donga.com