1 We Inherit and Develop the History and Tradition of Independent and Democratic Trade Union Movement
The hundred-year history of the workers’ movement in Korea has been one of arduous struggle. Under Japanese imperial rule, our predecessor workers did not merely confine themselves to economic struggles but waged brilliant campaigns at the forefront of the national liberation movement. The past fifty years have been a shameful history, where government-controlled unions lacking independence and democracy represented Korea's trade union movement.
However, the democratic trade union movement, which began to emerge with self-immolation of martyr Jeon Tae-il Jeon Tae-il on 13th November 1970, started to take root as a powerful force following the struggles of July and August 1987. In the face of oppression from those in power and capital, thousands were imprisoned, and lives were lost as workers fought to preserve the independence and democracy of the trade union movement, finally leading to the establishment of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on 11th November 1995.
The KCTU carries forward this history and tradition to establish independence and democracy and combines economic and political struggles to build a genuine democratic society where human dignity and equality are guaranteed.
2 We Build a True Democratic Society that Guarantees Human Dignity and Equality
All citizens have intrinsic dignity and worth as a human being and hold the right to pursue happiness. All citizens have the right to live equally without discrimination across all spheres of political, economic, social and cultural life. The state has an obligation to guarantee these inviolable fundamental human rights. Nevertheless, our society routinely disregards human dignity and equality due to prolonged colonial rule, military dictatorship, and division of the nation. The workplace, where the majority of citizens work, remains rife with undemocratic vestiges and discrimination. The KCTU strives to improve workers' working and living conditions and secure fundamental labour rights. We promote reforms in social security systems, housing, education, healthcare, taxation, fiscal policy, prices, finance, and land policy to ensure a dignified life for all citizens. By taking the lead in resolving tasks concerning all Korean people, such as independence, democratisation, and peaceful reunification, we ultimately aim to build a true democratic society that guarantees human dignity and equality.
3 We Achieve Political Empowerment of Workers and Strengthen Solidarity with Democratic Forces
Korean society has entered a period of power restructuring, beginning with the local government elections of 1995, followed by the 1996 general elections and 1997 presidential election. Political parties and factions continue to realign themselves to secure advantageous positions during this restructuring, whilst existing parties become increasingly conservative. Although reform party movements centred on civic groups and youth are emerging to counter this conservatisation, they face significant limitations due to their weak mass base and disregard for the national democratic movement. The KCTU shall, firstly, amend Trade Union Act and Election laws that prohibit trade unions' political activities and actively participate in various elections so that workers representatives can be elected. Secondly, we shall strengthen solidarity with democratic forces, including the national democratic movement, build a solid mass foundation, and ultimately establish a party that truly represents the demands and interests of the working people.
4 We Secure Democratic Rights Including Freedom of Speech and Press, and Freedom of Assembly, Association, Demonstration and Thought
Article 10 of the Constitution states: ‘All citizens shall be assured of human worth and dignity and have the right to pursuit of happiness. It shall be the duty of the State to confirm and guarantee the fundamental and inviolable human rights of individuals.' Article 19 states: ‘All citizens shall enjoy freedom of conscience’, and Article 21 states: 'All citizens shall enjoy freedom of speech and press, and freedom of assembly association.' Furthermore, Article 37 states: 'Freedoms and rights of citizens shall not be neglected on the grounds that they are not enumerated in the Constitution. The freedoms and rights of citizens may be restricted by law only when necessary for national security, the maintenance of law and order or for public welfare, and even when such restriction is imposed, no essential aspect of the freedom or right shall be violated.'
Nevertheless, in Korean society, human dignity and fundamental rights have been routinely disregarded due to prolonged military dictatorship, and undemocratic vestiges remain widespread throughout society. The KCTU shall abolish various anti-democratic laws including the National Security Act, and secure democratic rights such as human dignity and freedoms of speech and press, assembly, association and thought.
5 We Establish National Independence and Achieve Peaceful Reunification of Our Divided Country
Korean society has endured continuous foreign domination and interference for the past century, whilst the national division spanning over 50 years has caused distortions across all sectors of society. The KCTU seeks to end foreign domination and interference across political, economic, social and cultural spheres, and pursue independent development based on national sovereignty.
We shall establish military sovereignty through reducing US forces in Korea, abolishing their maintenance cost-sharing, and collecting base rental fees. We shall nullify various unequal agreements including the ROK-US Wartime Host Nation Support Agreement and the ROK US Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), and re-establish ROK-US relations based on principles of mutual benefit and equality. We shall respond to economic aggression by international monopoly capital, such as the forced indiscriminate market opening, and protect and nurture our national culture from the infiltration of decadent foreign cultures.
The division of our country for over 50 years stands as the greatest obstacle to realising a dignified life for all citizens. Under the principles of independence, peace and great national unity, the KCTU shall fulfil its duty as a powerful social force by actively pursuing the peaceful reunification of our divided country - the consistent aspiration of all Korean people. To this end, we shall ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula through the conclusion of a peace agreement and mutual arms reduction between North and South Korea, and create conditions for independent peaceful reunification by eliminating mutual distrust and misunderstanding through inter-Korean openness and free exchange and cooperation.
6 We Establish Industry-wide Collective Bargaining, Joint Struggle System and Build Industrial Trade Unions
Enterprise unions fragment the organisational strength, fighting capacity and financial resources of the entire trade union movement. They hinder the development of working class consciousness and obstruct the organisation of workers in small businesses and irregular workers, as well as the achievement of uniform working conditions through joint bargaining, joint struggle, unified negotiation and unified struggle. The KCTU shall overcome the enterprise union system that impedes the development of the entire trade union movement and promote the development of industrial unions. To this end, the KCTU shall firstly establish industry-wide collective bargaining and joint struggle systems to unite broad trade unions into a single front and secure uniform working conditions. Secondly, we shall promote reorganisation into industrial unions or regional unions, beginning with sectors where work processes and conditions are relatively uniform. Thirdly, we shall faithfully pursue daily activities and struggles of local unions, strengthen their organisational capacity through establishing workplace organisations and solidifying inter-organisational solidarity.
7 We Organise Unorganised Workers and Unify the Entire Trade Union Movement
Every worker has the right to join a trade union. However, trade union membership and organisation rates in Korea remain at a very low level of 1.66 million members and 13.5% as of late 1994. Among 12 million workers, the vast majority—about 10 million—are unable to join trade unions. The KCTU shall organise workers in large enterprises, small businesses and irregular workers who remain unorganised, and organise government employees and teachers by amending the prohibition on their right to organise. Korea's trade union movement is dispersed in various forms. This dispersion weakens fighting capacity and constrains the development of working class consciousness and political advancement. However, unconditional integration without establishing independence and democracy is meaningless and rather hinders the development of the entire trade union movement. The KCTU shall simultaneously promote the development of industrial unions and pursue independent and democratic reorganisation of the entire trade union movement to build an independent and democratic national centre based on industrial unions.
8 We Defeat the Suppression by Power and Capital and Fully Secure Fundamental Labour Rights Including the Right to Organise for Teachers and Government Employees
The rights to organise, bargain collectively and take collective action are workers' fundamental rights that cannot be violated and are essential for maintaining and developing a democratic society. However, police forces are being deployed under the pretext of restrictive clauses in labour laws, unfair labour practices continue unabated, and arrests, wanted lists and dismissals due to union activities occur in succession. Power, capital and the media are joining forces to wage various ideological offensives, while court precedents and administrative guidelines that infringe fundamental labour rights continue to emerge. The KCTU shall defeat such suppression and offensives by power and capital, amend restrictive clauses in current labour law including ① prohibition of union pluralism ② prohibition of organisation for government employees and teachers ③ prohibition of third party intervention in labour dispute ④ compulsory arbitration in public services ⑤ unfair domination, intervention and interference in union activities by administrative authorities ⑥ prohibition of unions' political activities, and fully secure fundamental labour rights by ratifying ILO Convention No. 87.
9 We Resist Labour Control and Intensification of Work Under Capital's Rationalisation Strategy
Automation and rationalisation through technological innovation should contribute to the humanisation of labour, not result in employment insecurity and work intensification, and must be implemented through joint determination with trade unions. Nevertheless, whilst pursuing new management strategies, capital is ① strengthening labour control in production sites, ② expanding irregular employment to promote job insecurity, ③ spreading corporate culture movements to paralyse working class consciousness, and ④ introducing merit-based personnel systems aimed at reviving performance evaluation systems. The KCTU shall secure prior agreement with trade unions and employment security guarantees for automation and rationalisation, institutionalise workers' workplace control rights and union activity rights that have been secured through practice, develop workers' cultural movements against corporate culture movements, and pursue wage system reforms based on securing living costs to resist labour control and intensification of work under capital's rationalisation strategy.
10 We Expand Management Participation Based on Co-determination and Eliminate Undemocratic Elements from Workplaces
Power and capital refuse trade unions' participation in management under the name of 'management prerogatives' and seek to build cooperative labour-management relations through neutralising unions and excluding participation. However, if trade unions representing workers are neutralised and excluded from management participation, healthy development of enterprises and society based on workers' voluntary participation cannot be expected. The KCTU shall expand trade unions' management participation from information sharing to co-determination at workplace, enterprise, industry and national levels, and institutionalise this through an introduction of co-determination laws. We shall take leading roles in various labour-management-government committees including the Labour Relations Commission and Minimum Wage Council, and expand participation in central and local governments' policy formation and decision-making processes. Workers' individuality and human dignity must be respected starting from their workplaces, and society's democratisation is possible only when democracy lives in workplaces. However, workers' individuality and human dignity are still ignored in workplaces, and paternalistic, unilateral directives and control persist while participation based on voluntariness and creativity is excluded. The KCTU shall establish participation systems based on co-determination in workplaces under the banner of labour humanisation to overcome alienation in work processes and eliminate undemocratic elements from workplaces.
11 We Secure Living Wages and 40-hour Work Week and Expand Paid Holidays and Leave
Workers have the right to receive adequate wages necessary for realising a dignified life. However, power and capital continuously pursue wage suppression policies and maintain low wages through minimum wages that fall short of even single-person minimum living costs. The KCTU shall firmly respond to wage suppression policies and secure adequate wages based on living costs to improve income distribution structure, and improve the minimum wage system to guarantee the livelihood of low-wage workers. Workers have the right to sufficient rest and sleep. Reduction of working hours protects workers from accidents and illness, expands employment and reduces work burden, and enables the realisation of workers' dignified lives. Nevertheless, workers in Korea suffer from the world's longest working hours, and power and capital seek to extend working hours through introducing flexible working hour systems, reducing annual leave, and abolishing menstruation leave. The KCTU shall firmly respond to moves by power and capital to extend working hours, minimise overtime work, night work, holiday work, shift work and irregular work, expand the 40-hour work week system and paid holidays and leave, and extend retirement age to 60 and above.
12 We Abolish Discrimination Based on Gender, Job Category, Education, Enterprise Size and Nationality and Secure Equal Pay for Equal Work.
Since the revitalisation of the trade union movement after 1987, wage gaps between genders, job categories and education levels have somewhat narrowed but remain large, while wage gaps between enterprise sizes are widening. And power and capital are expanding employment of irregular workers such as temporary, daily, dispatched and part-time workers and migrant workers to maintain the low-wage system. The KCTU shall revitalise industry-wide collective bargaining and joint struggles to reduce wage gaps between genders, job categories, education levels and enterprise sizes, convert irregular workers to regular status and guarantee equal working conditions and rights between migrant workers and local workers.
13 We Prevent Dismissals and Unemployment, and Secure Full Employment and Job Security
Workers have the right to work free from the threat of dismissal and unemployment, and the state and enterprises have an obligation to achieve full employment and job security. Technological innovation should contribute to job creation and humanisation of labour, and workers must be protected from all disadvantages that may arise in the process of technological innovation. Nevertheless, power and capital are reducing regular workers and expanding irregular workers such as temporary, daily, dispatched and part-time workers, whilst promoting employment insecurity through introducing migrant workers, introducing worker dispatch laws, and easing requirements for redundancy dismissals. The KCTU shall firmly respond to moves promoting employment insecurity including the Labour Dispatch Act, expand participation in government economic, industrial and labour force policy decisions and corporate management policy decisions, and achieve full employment and job security through establishing regulations on collective dismissals for economic and technological reasons, expanding employment of elderly and disabled workers, and enhancing job placement and vocational training functions.
14 We Eliminate Industrial Accidents and Occupational Diseases, and Secure Pleasant and Safe Working Environments
Workers have the right to be protected from various accidents and diseases and to work in pleasant and safe working environments. However, our country records the world's highest rate of industrial accidents due to the world's longest working hours and poor working conditions, and industrial accidents continue due to intensification of work under new management strategies. Recent major accidents such as the collapse of Seongsu Bridge, explosion at Daegu subway construction site, and collapse of Sampoong Department Store threaten the lives and health of workers and all citizens. The KCTU shall reduce working hours, resist intensification of work and improve poor working conditions, strengthen occupational safety and health activities, and secure rights to refuse and stop hazardous work and rights to information, thereby eliminating industrial accidents and occupational diseases and protecting the lives and health of workers and all citizens from various major accidents.
15 We Achieve Gender Equality and Expand Maternity Protection to Secure Women's Lifelong Workplaces
Workers must be guaranteed equal employment and promotion opportunities without gender discrimination and receive equal pay for equal work. The KCTU shall abolish gender discrimination in employment and guarantee the right to lifelong work, realise equal pay for equal work and abolish unfair discrimination in promotion and pay grade advancement, and abolish all legal and customary discrimination favouring men to achieve gender equality. Additionally, we shall guarantee women's lifelong workplaces by expanding maternity protection including 'regular medical examination leave for pregnant women, guarantee of at least 90 days maternity leave before and after childbirth, paid parental leave, and establishment and operation of workplace childcare facilities’.
16 We Reform Social Security Systems, Housing, Education and Healthcare Systems to Secure Dignified Lives for All Citizens
Every citizen has the right to be protected from various life crises such as disasters, illness, unemployment and old age, and the state has an obligation to promote social security and social welfare. The KCTU shall: First, reform the healthcare insurance system by unifying medical insurance organisations, expanding insurance coverage and reducing individuals' medical expenses burden. Second, reform the pension system by democratically managing the National Pension Fund to secure financial stability and adjusting benefit levels to guarantee post-retirement life. Third, reform industrial accident insurance by raising benefit levels, expanding coverage, extending accident prevention and rehabilitation programmes, and improving operational inefficiencies. Fourth, reform employment insurance by expanding coverage, raising unemployment benefit levels, strengthening job placement functions and expanding vocational training. Fifth, guarantee minimum living standards for welfare recipients and expand welfare services for the elderly, disabled persons, children, youth and women.
Every citizen has the right to live in pleasant and safe housing suitable for a dignified life, and the state has an obligation to guarantee this. However, current housing policy relies on private construction companies' profit motives, violating this housing right. The KCTU shall reform housing policy so all citizens can live in pleasant and safe housing, and prevent real estate speculation and excessive rental profits from deposits and monthly rents. Every citizen has the right to equal education according to their ability, and the state has an obligation to promote lifelong education. However, current education policy serves as a means of reproducing existing social relations through educational inequality. The KCTU shall: First, make early childhood and secondary education compulsory and incorporate private education into public education to realise equal educational rights regardless of wealth disparity. Second, secure over 5% of GNP for education funding to improve educational environments and move away from an entrance exam-focused education system. Third, expand public sector adult and vocational education, secure workers' rights to paid educational leave, and ensure trade union participation in management across all areas of the education system.
Every citizen has the right to be protected from illness and disaster. However, current healthcare policy makes realising this right difficult by relying on individuals' ability to pay medical expenses and healthcare providers' profit motives. The KCTU shall pursue healthcare system reform by improving health insurance to reduce treatment costs, expanding patients' rights and medical services, and increasing public health budgets to enhance the public nature of healthcare.
17 We Strengthen Regulation of Domestic and International Monopoly Capital and Protect and Foster Small and Medium Enterprises and Agriculture
Korean society is experiencing rapid foreign capital inflow and domestic market opening due to the launch of the WTO system in 1995 and OECD membership in 1996, whilst economic concentration in chaebols is intensifying through chaebol-centred growth policies. As a result, less competitive SMEs are being forced into subcontracting relationships with chaebol conglomerates or driven to closure and bankruptcy, agriculture faces severe crisis, and the risk of chaebols abusing economic power for economic or political purposes is increasing. The KCTU shall firmly respond to indiscriminate market opening demands by international monopoly capital, regulate economic concentration in chaebols and promote socialisation of the economy. Taking chaebol dissolution as a long-term basic direction, we shall firstly disperse stock ownership concentrated in chaebol owners and their families through employee stock ownership and people's share ownership, expand trade union participation in management and introduce professional management systems to transform chaebol conglomerates into people's enterprises. Secondly, restrict cross-shareholding and payment guarantees between affiliates, strengthen credit regulations, regulate new real estate purchases and expropriate, purchase or nationalise speculative real estate. Thirdly, oppose privatisation policies that distribute public enterprises among chaebols, and when unavoidable, transform these public enterprises into peoples’ enterprises through employee stock ownership and people's share ownership.
Additionally, the KCTU shall amend the Fair Trade Act to guarantee appropriate subcontracting prices, improve payment settlement methods and protect SMEs from large corporations' monopolistic practices. We shall expand participation in the formation and decision-making processes of government economic, industrial and financial policies to protect and foster small and medium enterprises and agriculture.
18 We Reform Systems and Policies Related to Taxation, Finance, Prices, Banking, Land, Environment and Transport
The current tax system is highly inequitable, with lower-income groups paying relatively high taxes whilst higher-income groups pay less. The KCTU shall reform the tax system to enhance tax equity by implementing separate taxation at lower rates for earned income, reducing VAT rates, comprehensive taxation for financial income and capital gains from stocks, and adjusting land value assessment to reflect publicly notified prices.
Examining the fiscal expenditure structure reveals that funds amounting to tens of trillions of KRW are operated without parliamentary deliberation and audit, whilst the proportion of defence spending is excessively high and social welfare spending excessively low. The KCTU shall pursue fiscal reform whereby the National Assembly deliberates and audits the operation plans and settlements of various funds amounting to tens of trillions of won annually, reduces defence spending which accounts for most inflexible expenditure, and increases social welfare budgets for education, healthcare and other areas.
Regarding financial policy, we shall guarantee the Bank of Korea's independence to ensure monetary value stability, and promote the transformation of financial institutions into people's enterprises with autonomous management by professional managers.
On land policy, we shall increase the ratio of public land by having the state and local governments expropriate and purchase speculative land from chaebols and large landowners, raise effective tax rates on property holding and transfer, control rent increases and guarantee long-term tenancy to suppress land price rises.
Every citizen has the right to live in a healthy and pleasant environment, and the state and citizens have an obligation to preserve the environment. To protect the environment, we shall establish the principle of polluter responsibility requiring those who cause environmental pollution to remedy its effects, and prevent environmental pollution through charges, directives and management measures.
Transport policy should prioritise environmentally friendly public transport as the primary means of transportation.
19 We Establish a Healthy National Culture by Eliminating Corrupting Cultural Elements
Korean society is undergoing rapid changes across all spheres of life including politics, economy and culture, with significant changes in people's living conditions and consciousness. The government is strengthening its ideological offensive through cultural policies such as the 'New Korea Five-Year Cultural Development Plan', whilst capital is spreading corporate culture movements to establish labour-management cooperation, and corrupting commercial culture is heavily influencing people's lives and consciousness. The KCTU shall actively counter the ideological offensive of power and capital and corporate culture movements, eliminate corrupting commercial culture, and establish a healthy national culture that can foster democratic spirit throughout people's lives and consciousness.
20 We Strengthen Solidarity with Workers Worldwide and Realise World Peace in the Face of War and Nuclear Weapons Threats
The KCTU shall contribute to the development of international labour movements and the advancement of human rights in solidarity with workers worldwide, and realise world peace in the face of war and nuclear weapons threats. To this end, we shall firstly strengthen solidarity with the International Confederation of Trade Unions (ITUC), Global Union Federations (GUFs), and national trade union centres, expand participation in international organisation activities including the International Labour Organization (ILO) and United Nations (UN), and support the development of Third World trade union movements. Secondly, we shall actively respond to the suppression of labour movements by multinational corporations in Korea and Korean companies overseas, and strive to ensure that migrant workers' human rights, fundamental labour rights and working conditions are guaranteed equally with Korean workers. Thirdly, we shall advance the fundamental rights of all humanity, advocate balanced socio-economic development for all countries, and realise lasting world peace in the face of war and nuclear weapons threats.