The umbrella Korean Confederation of Trade Unions announced Friday that the Korean Federation of Public Service Workers Union will wage an all-out strike in the latter half of May to protest the government's plan to privatize railways, gas and power plants. The KPSWU said it had decided at an ad hoc meeting to hold a second strike to protest "oppression" by management on workers in the power plant sector returning from a previous strike and to press additional demands regarding the introduction of a five day work week.

According to the KCTU participants in the strike will include unions from Korea Telecom, Busan City Subway and the Medical Insurance Corporation, currently undergoing restructuring, as well as unions from the Korea Electric Power Corporation, Korea National Railroad and Korea Gas Corporation.

Regarding the introduction of a five day workweek, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions and KCTU are demanding no reduction in holidays, no loss of salary for menstrual leave, and no lowering of overtime payments. According to an FKTU poll of 208 unions on shortening working hours, 41.8% answered they would submit requests for this in salary negotiations.

(Moon Gap-sik, gsmoon@chosun.com )