In labr.asia, Institute for Global Communications wrote:

From: Institute for Global Communications

ICEM UPDATE
No. 1/1997
10 January 1997
The following is from the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM):

KOREAN STRIKE SPREADS. WARRANTS ISSUED AGAINST UNION LEADERS.

As South Korea's workers mobilise against new anti-labour legislation, Korean affiliates of the 20 million strong International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions are in the forefront of the action. Arrest warrants have now been issued against a number of union leaders, including Oh Kil-sung, President of the ICEM-affiliated Korean Council of Chemical Workers' Unions (KCWU). He is also one of eight union leaders against whom the Korean Employers' Fed eration has filed complaints for violation of laws on the "interruption of business."

Oh Kil-sung and other trade unionists facing arrest are now in the grounds of the cathedral in the South Korean capital, Seoul. There is a heavy police presence around the cathedral, but church leaders have publicly warned the authorities not to violate the sanctuary.

Both national trade union centres - the still not legally recognised Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) and the legal Federation of Korean Trade Unions (FKTU) - are now backing strike action. Around a million Korean workers are likely to be on st rike from 14 January. Launched by the KCTU on 26 December, this is the country's first general strike since the Korean War. The unions have vowed to continue it until the government reconsiders the new legislation.

Since the establishment of a Presidential Commission on labour law reform last April, the FKTU and the KCTU have been pressing for the legislation to be brought into line with the trade union rights standards of the UN's International Labour Organisation (ILO), notably those on freedom of association. Park Hun-soo, President of the ICEM-affiliated Federation of Korean Chemical Workers' Unions (FKCU), was among the Commission members who pressed strongly for observance of ILO standards.

To pave the way for South Korean membership of the OECD, the government gave clear commitments that it would fully implement the ILO Governing Body's repeated rulings on the need for true freedom of association in South Korea. The ILO emphasised that Kore a should recognise the right to trade union pluralism, the right for trade unions to engage in political activities, civil servants' right to organise and teachers' right to organise and to bargain collectively.

But far from moving to protect workers' rights, the government swept aside the recommendations both of the ILO and of the Presidential Commission. Under strong pressure from the big Korean companies and multinationals, the government legislated to:

- weaken legal provisions on weekly basic working hours (currently 42 hours maximum), with the ultimate aim of cutting overtime payments

- permit the "replacement" of striking workers (blacklegging had previously been illegal)

- facilitate the use of contract labour to replace regular employees

- abolish job security regulations.

At the same time, the ruling party failed to lift the existing ban on "third-party intervention in collective bargaining" - a provision which effectively prohibits unions from seeking outside support or even expert advice when bargaining.

In an attempt to justify the new anti-labour measures, South Korean President Kim Young-sam spoke of the need to bring the country's industrial relations system into line with current practice in the OECD countries. In reality, though, the moves have more to do with the pressures of global trade liberalisation. South Korea, now an industrialised nation ranked no. 11 in the world in terms of GDP, is being undercut by cheaper "competitors." Having first been urged to work hard for prosperity, South Korean w orkers are now being told to tighten their belts.

The Korean unions are determined to overturn the new anti-labour laws. At its Korean affiliates' request, the ICEM is asking affiliated trade unions worldwide to picket Korean embassies. Unions are also requested to urge their governments to protest again st the Korean government's breach of ILO standards and of its own promises to the OECD. The Korean unions want a full-scale international trade union fact-finding mission to visit the country as soon as possible.


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