South Korea's largest car maker and 165 other workplaces were hit by strikes yesterday, as unions escalated protests over working conditions ahead of December's presidential election.
About 120,000 workers from the country's most militant union began a strike at 1pm in South Korea to protest against proposals to shorten the working week that they fear will also cut incomes, a union leader said.
PHOTO: REUTERS
"We don't know how long it will last, but we'll fight until the government accepts our demand," Sohn Nark-koo, a spokesman for the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) said.
Among companies affected by the KCTU walkout were Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors, Ssangyong Motor and unlisted Kumho Tire, and union officials said the action could spread further in coming days.
The walkout broadened a strike begun on Monday by 15,000 civil servants protesting against both the proposal to shorten the working week and a government ban on public sector unions.
Some analysts say the stoppages represent the beginnings of a wave of labour unrest before the Dec. 19 election, when South Korea will pick a successor to its retiring president, Kim Dae-jung.
The strikes come amid reports of flat industrial output in South Korea, which is already seeing signs of a slowdown.
Police said they arrested 600 civil servants and were holding them for interrogation because their strike was in breach of a government ban on public sector work stoppages.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS