[Editorial] Government Choices when Dealing with Illegal Strikes

Now that the four-day strike by unionized railway workers has finally come to an end, the government seems to have been able to set a precedent for dealing with illegal walkouts in the future. The railway workers` union finally realized that they had nothing to win by refusing to return to work, while the government repeatedly said that it would not deal with illegal strikers. The public also showed little or no sympathy towards railway workers.

Minister of Construction and Transportation Choi Jong-chan, in particular, played a key role in resolving the standoff by taking a hard stance on the union from the beginning. He defined the strike as illegal, stressing that those responsible would be punished under the law. When the union pushed for the strike, Choi asked the public to put up with inconvenience for some time, saying that the government would stick to basic principles. President Roh and Deputy Prime Minister Kim Jin-pyo also stressed the government`s firm stance towards illegal strikes, giving weight to Minister Choi.

The Roh government, which had been criticized for its pro-labor policies, proved its ability to deal with an illegal walkout this time. The railway workers` strike, in fact, came without a majority of support within the union. It skipped a due process of holding a referendum among its members and filing a case at the arbitration committee. Union leaders, having pushed for a strike in an unjustified way and causing disruptions, will have to be held accountable for their actions.

The result of the vote – returning to work with no strings attached – proved that the earlier decision was incorrect. They went on strike, demanding that the government retract the plan to privatize the Korean National Railroad. Demands were hardly convincing and even absurd, however.

The Korea Confederation of Trade Unions and the Federation of Korea Trade Unions, two radical umbrella organizations that have led confrontational campaigns, should take a valuable lesson from the aborted strike. The public no longer sees labor unions as deprived and marginalized. The fact that people do not condone illegal strikes has already been proven as they reacted negatively to strikes led by Choheung Bank workers and railway workers.

The government has successfully put an end to confrontation this time. Still it needs to stick to the basic principle of the law. It must punish union leaders who organize illegal strikes and workers who refuse to return to work. This way, trade unions will rethink their strategy of rashly taking collective actions as a means to tame the government.