Korean Labor Unions Enjoy Unrivaled Privileges
翻譯：許和平
Korea's labor unions continue their ritual yearly strikes with ever noisier demands for more money and perks even as their productivity has failed to catch up and production is being moved overseas.
儘管韓國工人的生產力根本配不上他們所拿到的薪水，韓國的製造業正在不斷外流。韓國的工會還是我行我素地年年罷工，用更高的音量要求提高薪酬和津貼。
Unionized workers at Hyundai and affiliate Kia downed tools for seven years in a row from 2012-2018, causing the automakers W15 trillion in production losses (US$1=W1,169). Those at GM Korea downed tools for 103 days, whereas Japan's Toyota did see a single strike over the last 57 years.
現代汽車和起亞汽車的工會工人在2012-2018年連續罷工（註：應該指這幾年每年都有罷工而不是連續罷工七年），給資方造成了15萬億韓元的損失（129億美元）。而韓國通用也遭遇了103天的罷工，而日本豐田過去57年只罷工了一次。
The numbers were cited at a forum on Wednesday hosted by the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association. Kim Joon-kyu at KAMA said, "It's rare in any advance economy that wage negotiations and strikes take place every year. This is a privilege enjoyed only by Korea's militant unions."
以上數字來自周三韓國汽車製造業協會的一次論壇。該組織的Kim Joon-kyu表示，「沒有任何發達經濟體的工人像韓國一樣年年罷工要求勞資談判。這是韓國『激進工會』的特權。」
Experts speaking at the forum pointed out that the Moon Jae-in administration's efforts to improve labor conditions ended up only strengthening the vested rights of unionized workers and harming all others. They warned that the government focused too much on idealistic goals and failed to boost labor flexibility and achieve reforms, which simply prompted business to cut back on new hires.
專家在這場論壇上指出，文在寅政府改善勞工環境的努力只會助長工會的囂張氣焰傷及他人。他們警告如果政府繼續執迷不悟而不是提高僱傭的靈活性和改革勞工制度，資方只會不斷地削減僱傭崗位。
At Volkswagen in Germany, unionized workers can down tools only if 70 percent of workers support a strike. In Korea, diehard unionists, who make up less than 10 percent of total workers, only need a simple majority and are allowed to stage sit-in protests in factories.
在德國大眾，只有70%以上的工人支持工會才可以罷工。而在韓國，不到10%的死硬派工人只需要簡單多數（同意）就可以搞事情。
（譯者註：看出這裡的數字遊戲沒有？）
Kim Tae-gi of Dankook University said, "Government policies such as the steep minimum-wage hike and capping the working week at 52 hours only strengthened the vested rights and voice of workers in big businesses, state-run companies and government agencies."
東國大學的Kim Tae-gi表示，政府的勞工政策如提高最低工資和限制勞動時間（52小時/周）只會讓大企業，國營企業和政府部門的僱員受益。
（全文完）
註：《朝鮮日報》在文中玩了一個拙劣的數字遊戲——故意寫一個10%的數字出來，誤導和欺騙讀者，使讀者以為是極少數「極端分子」、「挑事兒的」綁架了工會。
然而實際上韓國工會還是需要過半工人支持才能罷工。如果你乍一看德國大眾工會的70%和韓國的10%，你還真以為韓國工會真有問題、「沒事找事」呢。
如何評價朝鮮日報此文，用這一句話就夠了：
不作安安餓殍，效尤奮臂螳螂
（為了「發達」的大韓民國，你們餓死也不能造反！）