“I’ll be stoned” The first generation of the labor movement against the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

Han Seok-ho, secretary-general of the Jeon Tae-il Foundation, a former member of the KCTU as a first-generation labor movement, rejected the KCTU’s request to “resign from the win-win wage committee.”

The Win-Win Wage Committee is an expert committee created by the government to innovate the wage system and resolve the problem of polarization (dual structure) in the treatment of workers between conglomerates and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

In a statement on the 24th, Secretary-General Han said, “Resign from the win-win wages. One side throws a stone and the other side throws a rope. rejected the resignation request. He said, “To improve the serious wage-income dual structure problem in the labor market, we need to comprehensively look at solvency and issues inside and outside the Labor Standards Act.” Secretary-General Han said, “We need to open an era in which an annual income of 30 million won is guaranteed to workers outside labor (subcontractors, small business owners, platform workers, individual business owners, etc.). If this is resolved, Korea will become an advanced country in name and reality.”

A secretary-general who currently participated as an expert member of the Win-Win Wage Committee said, “(The Confederation of Trade Unions) demanded the resignation of the Win-Win Wage Committee and the Jeon Tae-il Foundation. They even warned us about follow-up measures for the business with the Jeon Tae-il Foundation.” He said, “Participation in the Win-Win Wage Committee is like jumping off a cliff, but the reason I jumped was because of my desire to join hands with ‘outside labor’.” One secretary-general said, “One side throws a rope, saying, ‘Stop swearing at me and resign now.'” It is a will to continue the activities of the Win-Win Wage Committee and to continue solidarity with workers outside labor. He said, “I will continue to fall after gaining support from labor sites across the country and from all walks of life who are removing stones from the bottom of the cliff and laying mattresses. I will grab that rope and climb.” He is a member of the first generation of the labor movement, who took the lead in the struggle against the government, such as winning the 5-day work week in the 1990s and 2000s.

[이종혁 기자]