SEOUL, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- South Korea's largest umbrella labor group launched a general strike Tuesday to protest against a new labor bill.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions declared its members have entered a full-fledged nationwide strike beginning Tuesday afternoon, protesting parliament's approval of the non-regular workers bill that unionists claim will increase the number of temporary laborers.
A total of 150,000 unionists from over 150 workplaces across the country were on general strike, the labor group said. The group vowed to stage protest rallies until the labor bill was withdrawn.
The umbrella labor group, which claims a membership of more than 800,000 from 744 unions, is the most influential labor group in South Korea.
The walkout comes after the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee passed three bills on Monday night aimed at improving the treatment of non-regular workers. The labor group says the bills lack practical measures and would eventually increase the number of such laborers.
The country's railway workers threatened to launch a general strike for higher wages and better working conditions starting Wednesday, fueling concerns about labor unrest.
The Labor Ministry and the prosecution vowed to crackdown on the illegal labor actions. "We will handle the strikes, which are illegal, according to the letter of the law," the ministry said.
