Upholding Labour Rights in Korea in an OECD context
Issues paper prepared by the TUAC Secretariat
06/04/2016
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[This paper, first
published on 4 March 2016, was revised following a visit of a TUAC
Secretariat staff in Korea 8-11 March organised by the FES office
in Seoul.]
On 11 December 2015, Han Sang-gyun, President of the Korean
Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), one of the Trade Union
Advisory Committee to the OECD’s (TUAC) Korean affiliates alongside
the Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU), was arrested by
police forces after a month stay in the sanctuary of a Buddhist
temple. Han San-gyun is accused of “obstruction of traffic” during
demonstrations held in April & May 2015 to commemorate the
tragedy of the 2014 sinking of the Sewol Ferry. Han Sang-gyun could
face up to 10 years in prison. His trial is expected in May
2016.
Meanwhile, the relations between the FKTU and the
government have recently broken down. “There’s no point in sitting
down to talk with a government that makes a practice of breaking
its promises and violating its agreements” said FKTU President Kim
Dong-man on 20 January 2016. ...
Table of contents
- Trade union repression in 2015
- The accession in 1996
- Labour rights
- Civil liberties
- Labour reforms
- The Chaebols
- Worker participation and responsible business conduct
- The OECD responsibility
- Next steps for TUAC
- Annex: Tracking of Korea’s commitments to the OECD