I Became Park Jeong-ui’s Nephew - Chapter 190



Only Krnovel

He became Park Jeong-ui’s nephew. – (190)

‘So… what do I do now?’

This is the government building of the Republic of Korea,

Lee Myung-bak, who began the second chapter of his life as Minister of Economy, was lost in thought in his office.

When I was a businessman, I had an obsession that if I didn’t achieve results, I would die, so I believed that if I worked a little harder than others, I would succeed.

But what about now?

Policies don’t produce results in a few months, and officials don’t seem to be in any particular hurry.

Do you think that since Korea has grown so rapidly over the past 20 years, there is nothing left to worry about, or is this kind of complacency a characteristic of bureaucrats?

The daily life of an administrator is very different from that of a businessperson.

Because I couldn’t adapt, I ended up making things out of nothing.

One of them is the union issue. As Lee Myung-bak was once a businessman, it was difficult for him to maintain a smooth relationship with the union.

During this period, all unions except the Federation of Korean Trade Unions were illegal.

However, the Federation of Korean Trade Unions is only a formal leader, and each company’s union has the autonomy to negotiate and struggle for wages.

So what kind of results did this ragtag group achieve against the corporations?

Surprisingly, there were quite a few achievements.

For example, the Wonpungmobang-Dongil Textile Union received wages 30% higher than other workplaces, and on top of that, they also received bonuses and retirement pay.

In particular, the bonus received last year was as much as 400% of the monthly salary, and the 48-hour workweek was reduced to 42 hours.

So what happened to those companies?

Wonpungimobang, which was once ranked in the top 10 in sales, has now fallen to 30th place in sales, and if this continues, the company will go bankrupt.

The bigger problem is that the unions have started to spread their fighting know-how to other branches, and now everyone is starting to lead the way in pushing for wage increases.

“Hey, we got a 400% bonus this time, but why is your company like that?”

“Really? Then we can’t just sit still either?”

“Let’s take this opportunity to go on a general strike centered around the Federation of Korean Trade Unions!!”

“30% wage increase!! 400% bonus secured!!”

Sporadic unions are now uniting around the Federation of Korean Trade Unions.

What will happen to the Korean economy if we can’t get this thing under control?

Now that he has the power as Minister of Economy, Lee Myung-bak has ordered that manpower be mobilized to monitor the labor union.

The first task is to determine how many workers are unionized.

The bureaucrats who received the order went as far as planting spies in each region and even installing wiretapping devices in larger unions.

“Cheonggye Pibok has 25,000 union members. Most of the workers here are women, but the executives are men.”

“Then there must be a lot of conflict between men and women?”

“Yes, female workers are demanding menstrual leave, changes in the title of female workers, reduction of the wage gap between men and women, and abolition of the female retirement system upon marriage, but executives are not interested in such policies.”

Lee Myung-bak first targeted Cheonggyecheon Stream.

Other companies’ unions have at most 2,000 to 3,000 members, but this company has a whopping 25,000 members. What’s unique about this company is that while other companies have an overwhelming majority of male union members, this company has 20,000 female union members.

Since it is a place for simple labor, businessmen mainly hire women with low wages, but if the executive positions are held by men, doesn’t it smell like some kind of discord?

As expected, disgruntled female workers reported union corruption to government spies.

“They say that executives take bribes from the company and harass women.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s a den of thieves. If we investigate, they’ll all come out.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.”

Lee Myung-bak, who obtained the information, immediately reported this fact to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Prime Minister Park Chung-hee, who had a golden opportunity to crack down on the union that was shaking up the country’s industry, made public to the world the crimes committed by Cheonggye Textiles and its union executives.

[Cheonggye Clothing created a structure that exploited female workers by giving bonuses of 400% to about 50 union executives. All of the union executives are men, and they are also accused of colluding with the Federation of Korean Trade Unions to lead large-scale strikes.]

The day when the Korean labor world was literally turned upside down,

This incident also had a huge impact on other unions.

If you are a union official, you should be working for the rights of workers, but are you saying that you are colluding with companies to participate in the evil act of exploiting workers?

In fact, Korean unions are moving in that direction.

Aren’t union leaders the ones who have the right to negotiate with the government and companies?

From the perspective of the vested interests, if they could just trick these people, they could easily control the workers, so naturally, the executives were recruited by the vested interests and enjoyed the benefits.

It’s an incredible thing for workers,

How can he use that right to suck the blood of union members when he is in that position because hundreds of thousands of union members supported him?

Ordinary union members demanded that noble union members exercise their right to negotiate for transparent budget execution.

Do you think the noble union members will hear that?

Only now have the union members woken up to the reality.

“Break down the aristocratic union!!”

“Since when has the union been used as a means for executives to gain profits in collusion with the company?!!”

“Just as the sovereignty of a country lies in the people and all power comes from the people, the union exists thanks to the support of workers!! If the union is run like this, we will quit the union!!”

As workers became divided, the power of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions was completely broken.

The number of unionized workers is around 10%, but with a large number of union members leaving the company due to this incident, that percentage has dropped to 5%.

Those who are in the union are all thieves who are out to harm each other.

Trust once lost is difficult to regain.

***

“Your Majesty, here is this month’s report.”

“How long ago did you receive the report?”

“This is different.”

The same routine that repeats itself today,

I reviewed the materials provided by Daehan Transportation.

It would be a mistake to think that the wage gap between men and women in Korea, which is not even a recent union-related turmoil, is a problem unique to the 21st century.

Even at this time, this issue was a serious social problem,

Male workers are mostly skilled workers or technicians, earning three times more than female workers, and their daily routine is to go to work in the morning and leave in the evening.

In addition, male workers can be promoted to managerial positions as they gain seniority and are recognized by the company.

That’s why company officials talk to each other as men when dealing with the union.

Daehan Transportation is also a company that cannot be free from that logic.

This time, the union elected 422 delegates, and they are all men.

Do these people have the will to solve the problems of female workers’ menstrual leave, changing titles, reducing the wage gap between men and women, and abolishing the retirement system for women upon marriage?

In addition, as the issue of Cheonggye Textiles blatantly ostracizing female workers became a problem, even Daehan Transportation was hit by the shockwave.

It would be nice if the CEO could solve the problem, but if he can’t, who will?

When a problem arises, it is the leader’s role to mediate, so I headed to the headquarters of the Korean Transport Workers’ Union to meet with female workers.

The union is divided into men and women, and is in a fierce conflict.

First of all, men’s position is the same.

“Aren’t we getting paid a lot for no reason? We are all skilled workers and technicians. But aren’t you all just doing simple labor? How can you expect to get the same wage when you do different jobs?”

“That’s not the point of the argument right now!! Has the union ever made any effort to solve the issues of women’s menstrual leave or maternity retirement?!! Aren’t they all just busy raising their own wages?!!”

“That’s right!! When it’s disadvantageous for them, they seek support from female workers, and when it’s no longer needed, they pretend not to know!! Are we the ones who vote for men when they need us?!! What?!!”

The female union members who caught me today,

Well, the head of state is here, so if not now, then when would he say something like that?

I first consoled the excited women.

“I’m a man, so I’ve never thought about the hardships women face while working. I was just proud of the fact that we’ve trained 2 million skilled workers. And it’s true that I thought that if men earn a lot of money, women will be happy too.”

If a man and a woman get married and both go to work, will the family be happy?

For example, in the United States, where women’s social advancement has rapidly increased, the male employment rate has fallen from 84% to 74%.

It’s true that wages aren’t what they used to be.

With 60 million babies born during the baby boom being absorbed into the labor market and even women entering the job market, it is only natural that men’s authority has been shattered.

You don’t even have to watch the video to see how a society where men’s authority has declined will function.

Can a woman marry a man who makes less money than her?

Women expect a lot from men when they get married, but if men complain that they get paid more than women, this is inconsistent.

This is something that should not be hidden, but should be said in front of the parties involved.

I opened my mouth, prepared to be cursed at.

“I earn 40,000 won. Can I marry a man who earns 40,000 won? Let’s think about it objectively. Can anyone marry a man like that?”

Not a single female worker raised her hand.

A technician currently employed at Daehan Transportation receives a salary of over 150,000 won.

There are 2 million such men, and these 2 million get married and more than 1.2 million children are born every year.

So what are these 1.2 million children the result of?

Are women unable to think about becoming independent on their own and instead just snatch a man who earns a lot of money, have children, and live in obedience?

Is that kind of life a passive life subordinate to men?

Isn’t that also a delusional thought?

It would be nice if women could get high-paying jobs, but how many jobs like that are there in the world?

It wasn’t like men became skilled workers overnight, but they all achieved results while working at the company.

If women can do that, there is no reason why they can’t be skilled workers.

The problem is that being a craftsman is dirty, dangerous and scary work. Can you stand having a 4m long pipe hanging over your head?

Men are treated well because they do such hard work, so shouldn’t women also be recognized for their status?

But if we just keep saying things like this, women’s dissatisfaction will only continue to build up, so I suggested an alternative.

“I can’t do anything about the wage issue. Companies also set standards and set wages. However, I will listen to your opinions on menstrual leave and maternity leave.”

I pledged here to provide women with one day of menstrual leave every month.

The problem is that this can also be exploited by women.

If you take a vacation when you are not very sick, this is a case of poor worker conscience.

In addition, large companies have a lot of workers, so it is okay for workers to take maternity leave, but in small and medium-sized companies with a shortage of workers, if women take leave as a group, the entire process will come to a halt.

That’s why I don’t like women working in factories.

If you were a business owner, would you hire a female employee who might call in sick at any time?

So I have nothing to say if giving men a lot of money, marrying them, and giving them the task of supporting women is also a patriarchal way of thinking.

If that’s the case, men should just earn a moderate amount. What sin did men commit that made them do dangerous work to earn a lot of money and support their families?

If you start looking into it one by one, the issue of wages between men and women is endless.

Since we have listened to some of the female workers’ claims, we decided to wait and see what happens next.