Teamsters are standing in solidarity with Korean workers as they prepare for general strikes on January 9 and 16.

South Korean railway workers returned to work on December 31, ending a 23-day strike. Although an agreement was reached to end the longest-running railway strike in Korean history, Korean labor unions are remaining vigilant against continued attacks on union members and leaders.

The Korean Railway Workers’ Union (KRWU) reached an agreement with ruling and opposition national assembly members to participate in an advisory capacity on a newly created “Subcommittee on the Development of the Rail Industry” under the Korean National Assembly Committee on Land, Infrastructure and Transport. This subcommittee will have a multi-stakeholder advisory board in which the KRWU will participate.

The KRWU, and its parent federation, the Korean Federation of Public Services and Transportation Workers’ Unions (KPTU), thanked unions worldwide for their solidarity, and recognized the mass support from Korean citizens for the strikers. They also called on the international labor movement to remain vigilant in response to continued repression of union leaders and members, and they are preparing for the next phase of the struggle.

The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) held a simultaneous protest around Korea on January 4, and is calling for a second and third general strike on January 9 and 16. They are asking members of the international labor movement to organize protests at Korean embassies in timing with these dates to demand the withdrawal of lawsuits against unions for damages, criminal charges, dismissals and disciplinary measures, as well as an end to labor repression in Korea and an end to the unilateral pursuit of privatization.

For more information and to join in on an action, visit the group’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-railway-workers-right-to-strike-in-Korea/623128284413850

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