The Korea Herald > Opinion > Editorial
[Editorial] Unwarranted strike
Rail workers should stop illegal walkout
Updated : 2013-12-11 19:53
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The rail workers’ strike enters its fourth
day today, showing no signs of coming to an early end. The walkout is likely to
continue as the more than 4,000 workers of Korea Railroad Corp. vow to fight
indefinitely until their demands are met.
The workers went on strike to prevent the
state rail operator from creating a subsidiary for the management of a new
Seoul-Busan KTX high-speed train service that departs from Suseo Station in
southern Seoul, separate from the existing one that departs from Seoul Station.
The union workers oppose the establishment
of the subsidiary as they view it as a first step toward privatizing the
nation’s rail service. They believe that privatization is bound to result in
mass layoffs and fare hikes.
Defying the union’s walkout, however,
KORAIL management approved Tuesday a plan to set up the proposed affiliate. The
company dismissed the union’s suspicions, noting that the new subsidiary would
be 100 percent owned by KORAIL and other state-run organizations.
Behind KORAIL’s push for the new unit
stands the government, which seeks to make the rail operator more efficient
through competition with its new affiliate. The government’s ultimate aim is to
reduce KORAIL’s snowballing debt, which reached 17.6 trillion won in June.
Backed by the government, KORAIL reacted
strongly to the union’s action. Defining the walkout as illegal, it removed
some 6,000 workers from their positions and referred some 200 union leaders to
the police.
Choi Yeon-hye, the company’s president,
made it clear that there would be no reversal of the decision made Tuesday.
Reaffirming that the new affiliate had nothing to do with privatization, she
said it would rather help KORAIL improve efficiency and provide a better
service to customers. She then urged the striking workers to stop their action
and return to work as soon as possible.
KORAIL unionists would do well to put aside
their suspicions and take their president’s word. They are well aware that the
government cannot push for privatization of KORAIL without endorsement from the
ruling and opposition parties.
The two parties are not interested in
privatizing the rail operator. Rather, they are planning to rewrite the law on
KORAIL to prevent it and other state organizations from selling their stakes in
the planned subsidiary to private companies.
In this regard, the union’s strike decision
is unwarranted. Their continued walkout would only raise suspicions that they
are using it as a means of pressuring the company to accept their wage demands.
KORAIL’s management is right to play
hardball with the union. But at the same time, it needs to continue to talk
with unionists to convince them that the company is not making any attempt at
privatization.
The government, for its part, needs to be
prepared for a protracted strike. Thus far, there has been no major disruption
to passenger train services, but the walkout has begun to take a toll on cargo
services.
A prolonged strike will cause serious
damage to such industries as cement, coal, steel and logistics, which depend
heavily on rail transport. Cement producers are already suffering losses, as
they have to use more expensive road transport. The government needs to ensure
that the rail walkout does not develop into a logistics nightmare, causing
widespread damage across industries.
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/apr/12/privatisation-good-bad-ugly
1.
Why do the union workers view subsidiary
as a first step toward privatizing the nation’s rail service?
2.
To reduce KORAIL’s snowballing
debt, what kind of method should be taken into consideration?
3.
Is the rail workers’ strike really
“unwarranted” If not, why?