Labor Rights
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) released the Global Rights Index (GRI) on May 19 after looking into the labor rights conditions of 139 countries around the world. Korea was put into the lowest fifth category.
The ITUC, headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, examined 97 evaluation items relating to the violation of labor rights before releasing the report at the ITUC general meeting held in Berlin.
A total of 24 countries were found in the lowest category, including China, India, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Greece, Guatemala, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Swaziland, Turkey, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. According to the ITUC, these countries provide no guarantee of rights, which means workers cannot benefit from the statutory labor law.
In the meantime, Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, and 12 other countries joined the top level, followed by 26 countries such as Switzerland, Russia, and Japan, and after that 33 countries including Britain, Taiwan, Australia, and Canada. The fourth category included the United States, Hong Kong and 28 others.
The ITUC mentioned the government’s opposition to a labor union of public employees, outlaw of the teachers’ union, and mass dismissal of railway union members on strike as the reasons for Korea’s low grade.