President Lee Jae-myung criticized some labor unions on Wednesday, a day before Labor Day, saying that "some organized workers make excessive and unjust demands, which end up hurting other workers as well."
"In order to build a world where all workers and all citizens can live together, a sense of responsibility and solidarity is needed," President Lee said at a senior secretariat meeting held at the Yeominkwan of the former Cheong Wa Dae.
"Workers, who are inevitably the weaker party in employment, derive their strength from solidarity with other workers in the same position. That is also why the three basic labor rights are guaranteed," President Lee said. "But when some organized workers make excessive and unjust demands only to save themselves and draw public condemnation, they harm not only their own unions but also other workers."
He added, "Someone in every family is a worker, someone will be an employer, and broadly speaking, we are all members of the same Republic of Korea. I hope we can put ourselves in each other's shoes and build a world where we live together."
President Lee also said, "Tomorrow marks the first Labor Day since this government took office. The holiday carries special significance this year because it has not only regained its rightful name of 'Labor Day' but has also been designated as a statutory public holiday." He stressed, "To build a country where labor is properly respected and treated, narrowing gaps in the labor market is important."
"Employers must treat workers as valuable partners in running the company, and workers and unions must also share a sense of responsibility," he said. "I hope workers will also demonstrate solidarity among themselves."
President Lee also expressed relief over recent signs of economic recovery but stressed the need to remain vigilant. "Following the first-quarter GDP growth rate reaching its highest level in five years and six months, April exports are also certain to post a significant year-on-year increase," he said. "However, since ceasefire negotiations between the U.S. and Iran remain uncertain, we absolutely cannot let our guard down."
"A moment of complacency, thinking that things have gone well so far and will continue to do so, could deal a serious blow to the people's livelihood economy. I hope we can review the entire emergency response system with this sense of urgency," he said. "In particular, we must focus all efforts on stabilizing prices affecting people's livelihoods."
He added, "Producer prices rose significantly last month, and since producer price increases typically affect grocery prices one to two months later, we must strengthen more active price stabilization measures." He instructed officials to "find more effective ways to stabilize prices of agricultural, livestock, and fisheries products and to ease logistics cost burdens."
"In particular, please respond firmly and strictly, with a zero-tolerance principle, to antisocial market-disrupting practices such as hoarding," he added.
