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 | | Monday, 25 March, 2002, 02:29 GMT South Korean power workers face sack  More than 5,000 workers are on strike South Korea's state-run power supplier announced on Monday that it would stick to its threat to sack striking workers. More than 5,000 workers at five thermal power plants affiliated to Kepco - the Korean Electric Power Corporation - began an illegal strike a month ago to protest against plans to privatise the units. The government rejected their demand, and the strikers were given an ultimatum - if they did not return to work by 0900 local time on Monday ( 0000 GMT) they would be fired. Now Kepco officials have decided to carry through this threat. "The company will proceed with its plan to fire striking workers who did not return to work by Monday in accordance with company rules," heads of the Kepco units said in a joint statement. According to a Kepco official, some 3,500 striking workers are now facing dismissal if they have not met the ultimatum. Key government policy Privatising the power industry and other inefficient state companies is a major policy goal of President Kim Dae-jung in his last year in office.
But government officials say the plans are non-negotiable as they were approved by parliament in late 2000. The government has outlawed the strike and 196 union leaders and members have already been dismissed. Strikes by public-sector workers are banned in South Korea. Under the privatisation plans, the government is to sell five units this year while it will retain the sixth unit covering nuclear and hydro power under its control. Campus raid Police raided a university campus in Seoul on Monday morning and arrested more than 100 striking power workers. Riot police arrived at Yonsei University in the middle of the night, after dozens of students threw petrol bombs at police during a sympathy rally to show solidarity with the striking workers. Scuffles erupted as 2,000 police entered the university to disperse 2,500 workers who had gathered there. | |
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