[사진 출처 = 연합뉴스]Subcontractor workers of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering have been illegally occupying Dock 1 (Dock) of the Okpo Shipyard for more than 40 days. The dock is the heart of the shipyard where ships are built and floated. Since they occupied a dock like this, the damage is enormous. It is said that the loss in the month of June reached 280 billion won. According to the company, it is estimated that the company will incur 30 billion won in sales and fixed costs every day. Daewoo Shipbuilding, which posted a loss of 1.75 trillion won last year and close to 500 billion won in the first quarter of this year alone, is no longer at a level that it cannot afford. There is a widespread sense of crisis that even the opportunity to win an order, which has come after a long tunnel of recession, will be lost due to the prolonged strike.
Despite this, more than 120 members of the subcontractors of Daewoo Shipbuilding, belonging to the KCTU Metal Workers’ Union, who are occupying the docks demanding a 30% increase in wages for subcontractors and 300% bonus payments, do not move. Because of the illegal strike of less than 100 people, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Daewoo Shipbuilding and its business partners, including 100,000 employees and their families, are seriously threatened. At the very least, the Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering labor union, which is affiliated with the same metallurgical union, would have stood up and demanded an end to the occupation of the dock. Of course, subcontractor members will have a lot to say. As the wages of subcontractors have been cut a lot over the past five years due to the difficult shipbuilding industry, it seems necessary to raise them to some extent. Strike is also a right of workers and should be protected. But even illegality cannot be tolerated. Occupying a ship under construction is clearly illegal under the Enforcement Decree of the Trade Union Act. In addition, the subcontractor union members belong to the partner company. The claim itself to negotiate directly with Daewoo Shipbuilding, the prime contractor, or Korea Development Bank, the major shareholder, is absurd. Even after such an illegal strike has continued for more than 40 days, it is neglect of duty that the public authorities are letting go of. The president has emphasized strict law enforcement at every opportunity. If we wait longer, criticism will increase, saying, “What is different from the previous administration, which only looked at the Confederation of Trade Unions?” President A of the closed partner company cried and said, “Please show us a Republic of Korea where justice is alive without compromising with illegality.” To put an end to illegal occupation by using public power is living justice.
[ⓒ 매일경제 & mk.co.kr, 무단전재 및 재배포 금지]