Court orders workers to pay 2 billion won in damage to curb illegal strikes

Court orders workers to pay 2 billion won in damage to curb illegal strikes. October. 12, 2013 02:36. .

A court has ruled that unionized workers who caused disruptions in automobile production by illegally occupying Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan Plant must pay 2 billion won (1.87 million U.S. dollars) in damage to the automaker. The Ulsan district court made on Thursday the ruling against 11 workers, who staged a sit-in strike for 25 days in 2010 by occupying production lines, demanding the company to regularize all non-regular workers. The damage is the largest ever among the compensations for damage that have been imposed on unionized workers in a single trial. The workers, including 10 non-regular workers and one regular worker, have been ordered to pay damage of nearly 200 million won (187,000 dollars) per person.

Discrimination against non-regular workers is an issue that should be urgently resolved in our society. Moreover, it is pitiable to see non-regular workers being forced to pay more than hundred thousand dollars in damage. However, it is natural that the court should sternly hold accountable anyone who commits illegal acts. Authorities cannot display leniency unconditionally, just because they are socially underprivileged people, even if such workers continue illegal acts in labor-management dispute. The court said, “Strike actions by the union branch of non-regular workers at the time is illegal acts that cannot be justified,” in its ruling to explain the reason for the decision. The union branch of non-regular workers had no direct labor contract with Hyundai Motor, and hence cannot be a party to collective bargaining. The court said, “The method and situation of strike actions, including occupation of the plant, went beyond the standard that can be acceptable based on social norms.”

Recently, court has maintained a stern stance on labor unions’ illegal acts. In July this year, court ordered a former labor union leader at Hyundai Motor’s Ulsan Plant to pay 100 million (93,000 dollars) in damage to Hyundai for illegally halting production lines. In August, court also ordered two union leaders of Hyundai Motor to pay 300 million won (280,000 dollars) in compensation to the automaker. The latest ruling is the first ruling in a lawsuit seeking compensations worth 15.16 billion won (14.14 million dollars) filed by Hyundai Motor against a total of 428 people, saying that the company suffered more than 300 billion won (280 million dollars) of damage due to lost production of over 27,000 passenger cars as a result of illegal strike by the unionized workers. Attention is focusing on whether court will be issuing similar rulings going forward.

Workers` right should be protected, but illegal and violent acts should be sternly punished in order to ensure that law and order is established at industrial sites. The same standard should also be applied to illegal oppression of labor union by management.