[EDITORIALS]Mindless labor

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[EDITORIALS]Mindless labor

The reckless actions of several labor unions are adding to the worsening economic situation.
While union construction workers striking in Pohang, North Gyeongsang province, stormed in and illegally occupied the Posco headquarters building, Hyundai Motor union workers are interfering with the automaker’s construction of a new plant.
Not only is it illegal for the union construction workers to take over the Posco building, it is absurd to demand that Posco, which is not even the main actor in the dispute, solve the problem.
The union workers are employed by several subcontractors working on facilities ordered by Posco. The strikers are arguing that Posco is interfering in their strike by supplying the subcontractors with substitute workers.
The union workers on strike have gone too far by making demands after taking over the building. With such drastic measures, it would be difficult for companies that hand out construction orders to subcontractors or receive supplies of parts to do business.
It is unfair that the commissioning company even has to be responsible for the labor disputes that arise at its subcontractors.
Hyundai Motor union workers, even while the company is suffering from the recent arrest of its owner and unfavorable foreign exchange rates, went on on their 16th strike in 16 years.
In addition to the strike by the assembly line workers, sales and repair workers went on strike on Thursday as well. That only makes things more inconvenient for customers.
Even worse, the labor union of the carmaker is interfering with the construction of a plant for the company’s new vehicle targeted for the global market. While Hyundai Motor was trying to build the new plant on the parking lot next to the existing plant, the union workers argued that the construction would mean that the parking lot would have to be moved far away, which would make things inconvenient for the workers.
For this reason the construction of the plant, which was to begin in May, has been delayed. What is the labor union trying to gain from interfering in the company’s management and only increasing consumer dissatisfaction?
Unless these labor union end their campaigns that eat up companies through stubborn and unreasonable demands, the unions will be isolated and destroy both the companies and the union workers.
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