Federation of Korean Trade Union held an electoral convention for its 23rd leadership on 25th January. Mr. Lee Yon-Deuk, the former president of FKTU, and Mr. Han Kwang-Ho, the president of Federation of Korean Chemical Workers’ Unions, were elected as the new president and general secretary of FKTU. Among 2,611 cast ballots from 2,707 qualified voters of 26 affiliated companies, Mr Yong-Deuk Lee gained 1,396 votes which is above the majority criterion.
<Table> Election results
|
electoral
college
|
cast
ballots
|
No.1
Joo-Young
Kim
|
No. 2
Jin-Kuk
Moon
|
No. 3 Yong-Deuk Lee
|
undervote․
abstention
|
|
2,707people
|
2,611votes
|
523votes
(20%)
|
643votes
(24.6%)
|
1,396votes (53.4%)
|
49votes
|
<Table> Biographies of President-elect and General Secretary-elect
| Mr. Yong-Deuk Lee(President-elect)
– Born in Gyeongbuk Province, Korea in 1953
– Graduated from Duk Soo information industry high school
– President of Korea Commercial Bank Union from Jun 1983.
– Head of General Strike Scene department of FKTU from Nov. 1996
– President of Korea Financial Industry Union from Nov. 1998
– President of Federation of Korean Trade Unoins (FKTU) from May 2004 to Feb. 2008.
|
|
Mr. Kwang-Ho Han(General Secretary-elect)
– Born in Seoul, Korea in 1957
– Graduated from Yeon-sung Technical High School in 1974
– Served 2 terms as President of Ssangyong Cement Union, Aug. 2000.
– Served as Vice President of Federation of Korean Chemical Workers’ Unions from 2001
– Served as President of Federation of Korean Chemical Workers’ Unions from Apr. 2008 to Present
|
In the press release after the election, Mr. Lee reaffirmed his determination to ▲sever a policy coalition with the Grand National Party, ▲make an all-out effort to revise the current labor laws, and put the highest priorities on workers’ will rather than the government’s policy directions.
He will consult with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions if necessary, and have a face-to-face meeting with Kim Young-Hoon, Chairman of the KCTU. The President-elect Lee is expected to increase the influence of the FKTU through negotiations between labor and management at central level, rather than focusing on the relationship between labor and the government. At the same time, Mr. Lee seems to strengthen support for workplace level activities, taking advantage of the new system, union pluralism at enterprise level, to be implemented from July 1, 2011.
<Labor InFocus vol.1, Feb. 2011>