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The leadership of the trade union of the Korea Electric Power Corp.(KEPCO) Friday ordered its members to go on strike beginning 8 a.m., Monday.

It is the first time that the KEPCO union leadership has issued instructions to launch a strike,

although the union has come near the brink of striking twice in the past weeks.

In the instructions, delivered through the KEPCO computer network, the union leaders said, "We call for you to join the strike in accordance with the instructions of the trade union."

"It is worthless to continue negotiations with the government and it is deplorable that the (KEPCO) trade union alone should agonize over the national distrust and burden (of the strike)," the union said.

The trade union also delivered guidelines which called for members of KEPCO trade union branches to appear at KEPCO headquarters in Seoul by 3 p.m. Sunday or 8 a.m. Monday, in accordance with their shifts.

The trade union said that 300 nuclear power plant operators and after- service staff will not join the strike until Tuesday morning.

The decision to launch the strike came days after the union backed away from its second strike threat to carry out further negotiations with the KEPCO management and government in an attempt to persuade them to postpone the privatization of the state-run utility firm. (Yonhap)

The government has proposed discussions with the labor union of the Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) on prospective ways to sell off five subsidiaries of the state-run business, which will be created after it is broken up, an official of the Commerce, Industry and Resources Ministry said Friday.

``If a bill relevant to privatization is passed in the National Assembly, the dividing up of the company will proceed early next year as planned, but the ministry will hold discussions with the labor union on the methods and timing of the sales to private businesses,'' the official said.

``Dividing the state-run power company into subsidiary companies cannot be regarded as privatization, strictly speaking,'' he said, adding, ``When the time comes to discuss the sell-off, the ministry will listen to what the union says and try to work with any reasonable stance it takes.''