By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Kim Eung-suk, the leader of the entertainers’ union at MBC, shaves his head in front of the broadcasting firm’s headquarters in Seoul, Monday, to protest management’s refusal to increase wages. / Yonhap
The union representing actors at MBC (Munhwa Broadcasting Corp.) went on strike Monday after last-minute wage negotiations with management collapsed. The union has more than 13,000 members, including actors, comedians, singers and other entertainers.
The strike is jeopardizing soap operas and most entertainment programs at one of the country's largest broadcasting companies.
Actor Kim Eung-suk, 41, president of the union, proclaimed the strike Monday morning, saying "We will boycott every MBC program until it accepts our demand for higher renumeration.''
"More than half of our 13,000 members have managed to make ends meet with a monthly income of 1 million won or less,'' Kim said. "To ensure their minimum income, this strike is inevitable.''
The large-scale walkout follows the rupture of 20 days of talks between the two parties that began on May 6.
The union has called on management to increase the basic rate for actors and actresses by 8 percent and by 17 percent for singers. It also demands extra allocation of 200 million won ($20,000) as funds the union can use for the welfare of its members
MBC is sticking to its initial proposal of a 6 percent increase for actors and 15 percent for singers ㅡ the same increase KBS agreed on May 6.
It won't raise the welfare funds from the proposed 150 million won.
"At an emergency meeting, we've decided to reject the union's demands,'' an MBC executive said. "We don't understand why the union demands rates higher than KBS.''
The union alleges it is entitled to higher wage growth as MBC recorded a 50 billion won profit last year, while KBS suffered losses.
The union, established in 1988, staged a 20-day strike in 1991 when actor Yu In-chon, incumbent minister of culture, sports and tourism, headed the organization.
pss@koreatimes.co.kr
Source: The Korea Times
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/05/117_24751.html