The leadership of the IUF-affiliated Korean Women’s Trade Union (KWTU) together with two other unions in the National Council of Irregular Workers at Schools launched a hunger strike on October 24 to demand wage increases, the right to negotiate collective agreements and permanent jobs for precarious workers in schools.
At the joint rally in June [1] members voted in favour of strike action but the Central Labour Relations Committee ruled strike action illegal. When negotiations became deadlocked the union leadership, including Sister Hwang Young Mi of KWTU, declared an 8 day hunger strike from October 24 to November 3. At the same time the National Council will hold another mass protest rally in preparation for a general strike on November 9. Meanwhile the unions' lobbying efforts led several lawmakers to introduce a bill on educational public service duties on October 23.