Labor strikes seep across sectors on social unrest over presidential power grab

The surging political unrest is pushing labor strikes into a multitude of industries, from automotive to school lunches, as unions demand the resignation of President Yoon Suk Yeol over his martial law order.

An elementary school student gets bread and juice instead of a proper meal in Daegu on Friday after a strike by a labor union representing irregular workers, including those who handle meals at schools. [YONHAP]

The surging political unrest is spreading labor strikes to industries omnidirectionally, from auto plants to school cafeterias, with workers walking off the job in an expression of support for the immediate impeachment of President Yoon Suk Yeol after the short-lived declaration of martial law Tuesday night.

The series of strikes comes as the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), the country's most powerful labor union, has announced an indefinite strike on Wednesday, demanding Yoon's resignation for "disrupting social order and crashing democracy."

Hyundai Motor's workers leave work two hours early Thursday afternoon as the labor union launched a partial-day strike demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment in Ulsan. [YONHAP]

Hyundai Motor's labor union, the biggest group in the KCTU's sphere with some 43,000 members, has launched four-hour strikes two days in a row since Thursday, affecting approximately 5,000 units of production.

"The strikes cause partial setbacks for all models," the automaker said in a regulatory filing.

Kia workers launched partial-day strikes for a total of four hours over two days, but only for executive-level employees without pausing production, while GM Korea carried out a similar collective action for four hours over same period. Auto parts supplier Hyundai Mobis and Hyundai Steel also went for partial-day strikes on the same days.

The KCTU warned that the protest could extend to a general strike on Dec. 11 if Yoon doesn't resign. The umbrella union comprises 20 regional offices and some 190,000 workers from 500 businesses nationwide, mostly in manufacturing like automaking, steel and shipbuilding.

Workers of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions stage a protest demanding President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment in Ulsan on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The influence is even reaching the education scene, with schools failing to offer proper meals to students as groups of irregular workers in schools refuse to work after wage negotiations with the education authorities fell through, demanding Yoon's impeachment.

Some 200 schools in Seoul either offered bread and milk instead of a full meal on Friday, while four instructed students to bring their own lunches. Sixteen schools decided to not offer meals by changing school hours, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

In Gyeonggi, some 1,330 schools, or half in the province, were impacted by strikes carried out by irregular workers handling meals.

Meanwhile, the state-run Korea Railway Corporation has been on a general strike since Thursday, following failed negotiations on wages and a workforce expansion, affecting the operations of high-speed KTX trains and regular trains.

The labor unions of Seoul Metro, the operator of subway Lines 1 to 8 in the capital area, also warned of a strike Friday, but dramatically reached a last-minute agreement with management overnight.

Students have sandwiches and juice for lunch instead of proper meals in Gwangju on Friday after a strike of a labor union representing irregular workers, including those who handle meals at schools. [NEWS1]

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]