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Labor union to rally nationwide to protest leader's arrest
SEOUL, Dec. 6 (Yonhap) -- A major labor union warned it will hold nationwide rallies on Saturday to protest the police arrest of its fugitive leader wanted for spearheading illegal demonstrations against U.S. beef imports in the summer.
Lee Suk-haing, chairman of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the more radical of South Korea's two umbrella labor unions, was apprehended in an apartment west of Seoul on Friday night about a month and a half after he slipped through a police stakeout of the temple where he'd taken refuge, police said.
Lee was wanted for organizing massive candlelight rallies against a decision in April to resume imports of U.S. beef that rocked the nation. The government has insisted the protests were illegal.
Several civic organizers, who were also wanted over the beef protests, were arrested in November.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it will request an arrest warrant for Lee in the coming days on charges of violating the law on public assembly, to keep him for interrogation.
Lee's union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, accused police of trying to suppress the labor movement. It said thousands of its members will gather in downtown Seoul and major cities nationwide in the afternoon to protest Lee's arrest and the government's pro-management policies.
"Not only did this administration suppress citizens' candlelight movement against the people's will and democracy but also criminalized the fair struggles of union members trying to protect the people's right to health," the union said in a statement.
Labor rallies have resurfaced in recent weeks as the Ministry of Labor planned to revise a temporary employment law, which unions say will worsen working conditions and job security.
The ministry said it will submit a revision bill by December to extend legally allowed temporary hirings from the current two years to three to four years before temporary staff are given a chance to become permanent employees. Small firms need a more flexible labor market to survive in these difficult times, it says.
hkim@yna.co.kr
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