On behalf of its 86 million members in 126 countries, the World Federation of Trade Unions expresses its solidarity with the striking rail workers in Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL), South Korea and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) for their prolonged struggle.
We note with high condemnation the brutal and undemocratic policy of the government of South Korea to violate the trade union and democratic rights and use violence and police force to evade into the KCTU offices and arrest its leaders and members.
We stand on the side of the striking rail workers who are conducting a fair struggle against privatization, dismissals and intimidation.
The strike started on December 9th, while KORAIL responded with the dismissal of 4,213 striking workers, filled complains against 194 trade union leaders and hired a subsidiary to run the state railways.
Continuously, the police raided the offices of the KCTU and arrested its leadership as a way of halting the long strike of the rail workers.
We express our support to the struggle of KCTU and its unions and join our voices with the working class and the people of South Korea to demand the end of the privatization plans for the Korea Railroad Corp. and the further improvement of its functioning in order to cover the needs of safe, efficient and cheap transport for the people of South Korea.
THE SECRETARIAT
