Korean power firm to sue more strike leaders
Korean power firm to sue more strike leaders
Park Sung-woo, Reuters, Seoul
South Korea's power monopoly said on Tuesday it would ask
state prosecutors to take action against more union leaders for
staging a two-week-old outlawed stoppage, but unionists stood
firm in their demands to scrap privatization.
More than 5,000 unionized workers at state-run Korea Electric
Power Corp (KEPCO) walked out on February 25 in protest at state
plans to privatise power affiliates, a key policy aim of
President Kim Dae-jung's government as the economy picks up and
as a presidential election looms.
Unions fear privatization will result in job cuts and higher
electricity prices, but the government has said it will not back
down on privatization or its claims against strike organizers.
"Five power units of KEPCO will charge 500 unionists for
leading the walk out, and some of them have already done so
beginning yesterday," a KEPCO official told Reuters.
KEPCO has already accused 250 union heads of leading the walk
out, and dismissed 49 of them on Monday. Some 200 unionists are
facing the same punishment with a final personnel meeting
scheduled on Friday, KEPCO said in a statement.
KEPCO has asked the Seoul District Court to seize union
workers' property to make up for losses incurred by the company
in hiring part-time workers to fill gaps during the strike. The
strike has not affected power generation.
KEPCO is seeking 6.2 billion won ($4.74 million) compensation
on estimated losses of 10.5 billion won up to March 9.
Despite the stiffened company threats, unionists stood firm in
their demands to scrap privatization, while still seeking a
dialogue with companies which broke off talks last week.
"Our demands are all the same as before. But we are still
willing to talk to the companies to end the strike as soon as
possible," said Cho Jin-wook, a senior union official.
After state-led mediation collapsed last week, the union has
held no talks with the companies or the government, both of which
say that privatization is not on the negotiation table.
Government plans call for selling five thermal power firms to
private operators beginning this year.