KCTU Withdraws from Tripartite Committee

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU), one of the two leading trade union organizations in Korea, finally withdrew from the Tripartite Committee composed of labor, management and the government on February 24.
KCTU made this decision during a plenary meeting at Yongsan District Hall, in which 400 representatives participated. KCTU's decision is likely to trigger a hard-line labor dispute in the coming months.
Regarding the decision, the government promised to make every effort to persuade the labor organization to return to the Tripartite Committee, while warning that hard countermeasures await any illegal labor activities.
KCTU is demanding four items it feels will normalize proceedings within the Tripartite Committee: the end of unilateral restructuring and layoffs; a guarantee of employment with reduction of working hours; the establishment of a social safety net for the 2 million workers now unemployed; and the guarantee of industrial unionism.
KCTU also asked for a 7.7-percent increase in wages this year.
KCTU will go on a general strike on March 4 unless the government accepts their demands. Before this, it will hold a massive demonstration on February 27, the one-year anniversary of the Kim Administration, to protest the government's mishandling.
The Federation of Korean Trade Unions(FKTU) will also decide, officially, whether to withdraw from the Tripartite Committee on February 26 when it convenes its general meeting.