Some labour leaders, though clearly not ready for surrender, recognize that the blunt instrument of strikes and confrontation has had its day. Labour leaders are now setting up their own political party to fight their cause. In the short run, labour disputes might actually pick up as the economic recovery gathers pace and workers try to reclaim the wage levels they gave up during the recession. This is already happening. We think next year could be a dangerous one.
Workers certainly have much to be frustrated over.
Last year unions were forced to accept pay cuts for the first time in recent memory. Although the jobs situation has improved, many of the estimated 1.5 million people laid off during the crisis have yet to find work. I t was this growing sense of victimization that propelled April's subway strike. Led by members of the hawkish Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, thousands of Seoul subway workers stopped work on April 19. Digging in its heels, the government told the subway workers they would be fired and held personally responsible for the costs of the stoppage if they didn't resume work.