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Gov't to restrict political activity of public workers
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- The government is pushing to toughen regulations restricting political activity by public workers, including banning opposition to government policies for political purposes, officials said Tuesday.
Under legal revisions proposed by the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, public servants and their unions would be prohibited from supporting political parties and issuing statements or holding anti-government rallies in affiliation with any political group. They would also be banned from wearing ribbons, armbands or vests carrying political slogans during office hours.
The proposed revision will also allow unions to deduct membership fees from salaries for up to one year only upon written consent from members.
"Members of the public workers' unions have issued anti-government statements to newspapers, violating their duties as public servants," an official at the ministry said. "We proposed the revisions in order to set in place a spirit of serving the people."
Tension between public workers and the government escalated after three labor unions representing civil servants last month voted to join a militant umbrella union after merging into a single entity.
The public affairs ministry last week dismissed 15 lead members of the unions and disciplined a dozen others for participating in anti-government rallies in July.
The Labor Ministry, meanwhile, said it will not accept the Korean Government Employees' Union, one of the three public workers' unions, as a legitimate entity, denying its right to negotiate with the government.
The ministry said the union has disobeyed the government's repeated order to dismiss fired public workers from the union.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
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