S. Korean Union Federation Calls Off Strike

A South Korean labor union called off a general strike scheduled for today, saying it did not want to endanger the country’s economic recovery. “This doesn’t mean we have decided to accept the tentative agreement between the government, management and unions,” the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions said in a statement. The KCTU called the strike to protest an agreement reached last week--and endorsed by KCTU leaders--that would make it much easier for companies to lay off workers, ending a work culture of lifetime job security. The strike call had not generated much public support, and only a fraction of the KCTU’s 550,000-strong membership had said they would heed it. Legislation to implement the agreement--which also calls for reforms in the country’s giant conglomerates, known as chaebols, and for cutting down the size of government--is pending in the National Assembly.