13 Korean Railway Workers Union (KRWU) leaders surrendered to police on 14 January, charged with having led what was a legitimate and lawful industrial action. Their dignified surrender was delayed by police action outside the headquarters of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU).
The president of the ITF-affiliated KRWU, Myoung hwan Kim, said yesterday: “The rail strike last year was a completely legitimate and legal struggle. The past precedents of denouncing workers’ legitimate strikes as illegal, repressing them and enacting disciplinary measures must not be repeated”.
ITF president Paddy Crumlin called the move ‘joke justice’, defending the legitimacy of the Korean workers’ action, and describing the arrests as politically motivated, unfounded, and discriminatory. He called on the government to drop charges immediately to retain credibility.
The news came less than a week after unions and not-for-profit organisations the world over showed their support for Korean workers’ rights. Activists in countries including Australia, Greece, the Philippines and the UK took part in rallies last Thursday 9 January, to coincide with a one-day general strike mass rallies in Korea. Further worldwide solidarity actions are likely, with Korean unions planning further mass protests on 28 February.
There will be a joint International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC)/Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) mission in Seoul from 17-20 January, and it is anticipated that ITF’s legal team will be joining the mission along with Public Services International (PSI).
For more information, go to the ITF campaign page.
Korea union leaders surrender despite police violence
news
ON THE GROUND
news
Mexico City and ITF join forces to protect transport workers rights during 2026 FIFA World Cup
With the world’s biggest sporting event set to arrive next summer, the Government of Mexico City and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have signed a landmark cooperation agenda to
news
Press Release
ITF and SeSé sign groundbreaking agreement to uphold new global warehousing principles
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), global logistics company Logística Sesé México, and Mexican union Sindicato Vicente Lombardo Toledano (VLT), have signed a landmark Memorandum of
news
Qantas penalty is a warning to any employers looking to attack workers’ rights
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) welcomes the Australian Federal Court’s decision today to award Qantas a AUD 90 million penalty for illegally sacking and outsourcing over 1800