By Soh Ji-young
Staff Reporter

The Democratic Labor Party (DLP) said on Thursday that it will support union workers’ struggle to block the government’s plan to sell off its stakes in big companies.

``The sales plans are being pushed without the participation of workers,’’ said Song Tae-kyong, a DLP official. ``We will persuade the government (to scrap the plans) to avoid a collision between labor and government.’’

The DLP won 10 seats in last week’s general elections on the platform of protecting workers’ rights, emerging as the third largest party after the Uri Party and the Grand National Party in the new Assembly that takes office on May 30.

The Korean Federation of Clerical and Financial Labor Unions, formed of clerical and bank workers, yesterday demanded the government should immediately stop all on-going efforts to sell off Korea Investment & Securities (KI&S) and Daehan Investment & Securities (DI&S).

In a press conference, it stressed that unions and employees must be allowed to take part in all discussions of privatization.

`` We want to exclude such investors as Goldman Sachs, Carlyle Group, Hana Bank-led consortium, Dongwon Financial Group and AIG Group from the negotiations,’’ it said. ``If our demands are not met, we will go on a general strike.’’

The government has been pushing to sell off KI&S and DI&S, which each swallowed up 4.3 trillion won and 2.5 trillion won of public funds.

The DLP’s move has been expected well in advance. Its leader Kwon Young-ghil on Wednesday told Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lee Hun-jai to employ more labor-friendly policies. DLP’s assertion of its newly acquired political power is feared to scare off foreign investors and put a damper on the already-slumping economy, government officials said.

Meanwhile, unionized workers of Daewoo Heavy Industries and Machinery Ltd. (DHI) also announced yesterday they will go on full-scale strike April 29 to thwart the South Korean government’s efforts to sell off the machinery maker.

More than 4,000 DHI unionists will hold a rally on Friday in front of the Kwachon government complex to pressure the government to scrap its sale plan, with a partial strike also due April 27-28.

jysoh@koreatimes.co.kr