S Korean power strikers face sack


Union employees have been opposing Kim Dae-jung's privatization push

staff and wire reports

SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's power company will fire more than 3,000 striking workers, the company stated on Monday morning.

Korea Electric Power Corp., which has a monopoly on electricity in the country, said it would go ahead with plans to fire the employees. They have now been on strike for five weeks.

The South Korean government had told workers at five subsidiaries to end by Monday their work stoppage that began February 25.

On Monday, the subsidiaries said they would fire all workers still out on strike.

"Besides 197 workers who have been dismissed and 404 others already facing dismissal, the company will proceed with its plan to fire striking workers who did not return to work by Monday in accordance with company rules," the heads of the companies affected by the strike said, in a joint statement.

Union leader pledges broader action

Union leaders pledge to continue to support the fired workers, and promised to organize a broader strike involving more employees.


The Korean stock market was essentially flat after KEPCO's firings

Yoon Young-mo, international secretary for the umbrella group, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, told CNN that the KCTU will on Tuesday declare a general strike in support of the striking workers.

"Without the settlement of these negotiations ... the strikes will continue," he said. "They [the workers] will not go back, and this will and determination was demonstrated clearly against the very serious threat of the government a few days ago."

Yoon claimed that the government was backing down from its original statement that it would fire all the workers immediately, allowing them various chances to show up at work without losing their jobs.

"So the government has more or less backed down from the threat of immediate dismissal," Yoon added. "This is because the striking unions have remained very strong."

Work demonstrations are common around wage negotiations in South Korea. Unions have also been protesting privatization plans from President Kim Dae-jung's government.

Kim has been pushing corporate reform in South Korea, which economists say is benefiting more than other Asian nations from efforts to recover from the Asian financial crisis. But workers fear they will lose their jobs in the process.

South Korea's stock market is essentially flat in late-morning trade. The main Kospi index is down 0.45 percent at 891.98.

Seoul-based KEPCO's shares are down 0.39 percent to 25,600 won.