Trade unions planning to resume their strike movement say the new version falls short of their expectations and still violates internationally-recognised labour standards. The original law, passed on December 26 in a secret pre-dawn session without opposition party members, gave employers more freedom to lay off employees, hire replacement workers during strikes and impose unpaid overtime while maintaining restrictions on workers' rights to organise trade unions. The law sparked off an unprecedented wave of strikes, in which for the first time in history Korea's two trade union federations, the FKTU and the outlawed KCTU, joined forces, leading President Kim Young-sam to send the text back to parliament. Multiple unions will not be authorised at the workplace level and the new bill also requires the abolition of salary payments for full-time union officials in five years.
Trade unions say the new text fails to meet their demands.
KCTU officials are equally critical and point out that the new text fails to recognise the right for teachers and public servants to form unions, which was one of their major complaints on the earlier texts. Both trade union groups have threatened to resume strike action should the new text be adopted without changes. The text was adopted by a simple majority together with three other drafts.