State Union Offices Shut

State Union[각주]국가 연합[/각주] Offices Shut

Union of Public Servants[각주]공무원 노조원[/각주] Declares All-Out[각주]전면적인[/각주] Struggle



By Park Chung-a

Staff Reporter

Police arrested 52 unionists[각주]노동 조합원[/각주] from the Korean Government Employees' Union (KGEU) and university students yesterday for blocking or disobeying[각주]불복종[/각주] the government's decision to forcefully shut down KGEU's branch offices across the country.

The arrested unionists and students will be charged by[각주]맡겨지다[/각주] the prosecution[각주]검찰[/각주], according to police.

In addition to 12 offices such as those located in Socho-gu, Seoul; Namgu, Inchon; and Kyonggi Province which have been already closed, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs yesterday began to shut down 140 more KGEU branch offices amid[각주]~하는 가운데[/각주] violent clashes between the police and unionists. Unionized workers from Mapo and Kuro district[각주]지역, 관할구[/각주] offices in Seoul were holding a sit-in[각주]연좌[/각주] strike, surrounding themselves with barricades. Water and electricity supplies to the offices has been stopped.

The government move came after its final warning to local branches of KGEU that they would face stern[각주]단호한[/각주] legal action unless they registered as legal entities.

Under the ministry's crackdown[각주]법률의 엄격한 시행[/각주], 82 branch offices were shut down and 11 other branch offices said that they would register as legal entities.

``KGEU has been conducting illegal group activities, such as election intervention[각주]간섭[/각주], by creating a trade union against the law. It was unavoidable to take measures to forcibly close down the offices,'' said a ministry official.

The government stopped the forceful shutdown at 7 p.m. and decided to resume it later on.

However, the confrontation[각주]대립[/각주] between the government and KGEU is expected to continue since the KGEU is firm on its position to protest the shutdown.

KGEU Chairman Kwon Seung-bok started a hunger strike in Seoul yesterday to protest the crackdown.

``We have been carrying out just union activities but the government is forcibly closing offices just because we have not registered them,'' said Kwon. ``We will continue to fight together other civil organizations and labor unions such as the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).''

About 200 law experts and lawyers yesterday urged the government to withdraw its decision to close down KGEU offices and stop oppressing[각주]억압하다[/각주] union activities of government employees

``Many other labor organizations including the International Labor Organization (ILO) have emphasized the need to permit unionized activities of government employees and solve the problems through dialogue. Instead of blocking their activities through forceful means, the government should support the establishment of KGEU,'' a KGEU statement said.

The KGEU is one of two labor unions representing government workers. The union with 140,000 members has not yet gained legal status while the Federation of Government Employees' Union was granted legal status by the government last month.