Korean strikers halt car industry

Staff and wires

Workers across South Korea took to the streets to protest changes to their work week

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SEOUL, South Korea -- Workplaces across South Korea have ground to a halt as about 120,000 workers went on strike over government plans to shorten the work week.

Around 165 workplaces were hit by the strikes, which began at 1pm (0400 GMT), protesting government plans to implement a 5-day work week that workers fear will result in reduced incomes and public holidays.

"We don't know how long it will last, but we'll fight until the government accepts our demand," Reuters news agency reported Sohn Nark-koo, a spokesman for the Korea Confederation of Trade Union (KCTU), to have said.

The strike call by the 640,000-strong KCTU has hit some of the country's biggest companies -- with workers from auto giants Hyundai Motor, Kia Motors and Ssangyong Motor taking part.

Production at Hyundai began winding down on Friday, with lost production of more than 10,000 vehicles costing the car manufacturer around 150 billion won ($123 million) by close of business on Tuesday.

South Korea's labor minister has called the strike "illegal" -- Seoul does not allow public servants to form unions. Police have arrested 600 civil servants and is holding them for interrogation for breaching laws banning public sector work stoppages, Reuters reported.

Flexing muscle

Labor Minister Bang Yong-seok told reporters around 73 percent of South Koreans are in favor of the dropping a half-day from their working schedule to work a five-day week.

Analysts say the strikes hint that interest groups, especially labor unions, want to flex their muscles ahead of December presidential elections.

In another dispute, thousands of public servants began a two-day work stoppage on Monday, demanding government recognition and better working conditions.

Industrial chaos was a South Korean trademark in the 1980s when workers fought for better working conditions and rights under military regimes.

Financial markets barely blinked at the prospect of an industrial stand-off. The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index closed up nearly four percent.

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