over 300 days on strike: casual workers at Korea Telecom
text in german (summary)
(November 2001: The Restructuring in Public Sector and Casual Workers' Struggle in Korea)
I would like to brief on the restructuring in public sector in South Korea, consequential proliferation of casual workers and aggravation of their working condition to you. In addition, let me introduce the struggle of Korea Telecom Contract Workers' Union as casual workers' union; Korea Telecom is one of the representative public corporations in Korea.
Korean government has been promoting the restructuring in public sector by downsizing, massive dismissal, outsourcing and privatization in the central and local government, public corporation and subsidiary organizations of the government since 1998. Accordingly, 120 thousand workers were dismissed by Aug. 2000 and totally 142 thousand workers are planned to be dismissed by Dec. 2001. During such a restructuring, dismissed permanent workers' empty jobs are filled with hard labor of casual workers, and the permanent workers remained also suffers from serious aggravation of their working condition and job insecurity.
Among the unilateral restructuring against public corporation promoted by ‘the guide for promoting management renovation of public corporation' of Korean government, Korea Telecom takes up 40.9% of the whole workers in nineteen organizations invested and financed by the government on Jan. 2000. In terms of the downsizing scale, Korea Telecom is the representative public corporation which dismissed 38.1% of whole labor force. I would like to report the strike-struggle of Korea Telecom contract workers deprived of the minimum right to live and human rights in this process.
Korea Telecom Contract Workers Union has been going on the strike for three hundred twenty four days till today, for the abolition of casual worker system and defending right to live to the last against restructuring in public sector by the government. In the late of last year, Korea Telecom committed unjust dismissal against seven thousand contract workers and outsourced three thousand contract workers in 114 service offering phone number this summer. Their work is same things such as track laying , track maintenance, repairing, and 114 service offering phone number with permanent workers at the same places. However, just because they were casual workers employed by the contract, they were dismissed by Korea Telecom and expelled to contract companies or subsidiary companies.
However, they worked for one to ten years deceived by honeyed words of KT that would convert contract workers to the status as permanent worker in accordance with corporate custom, only if they work hard. They cannot step back as it is. Because they could not but to work without any kind of day-off throughout the year and live merely with 850 thousand won(USD 653) as wage without any amount of bonus or food allowance far from four social insurance(pension, health, employment, industrial accident). This promise of ‘conversion into permanent worker' was the only hope that made them works enduring all hardships.
Thus, they called on KT to ‘repeal unjust dismissal' and ‘convert into permanent worker' when they went on strike-struggle. Their struggle has continued up to now when they face coming winter again, over this spring, summer and fall since exceptionally cold winter passed.
The casual workers in all work places of South Korea (rate of casual worker among whole workers: 58.4%) are living inhumane lives as they cannot resist like a slave, only because they are casual workers despite the low wages, highly intensive labor and harsh working environment. Amongst them, public corporation KT also is not different in terms of these practices. Why they were engaged in those given jobs putting up with low wages at the level of a third comparing with that of permanent worker, highly intensive labor for fifty six hours per week and dangerous working environment, is that they had a hope for ‘conversion into permanent worker'.
They wanted to establish the union only with desire to manage decent life as human by improving harsh working condition of KT. In accordance with KT trade union by-law, every worker who was working for KT had qualification for membership of KT trade union. Nevertheless, KT trade union of permanent workers refused contract workerschoice but to act as illegal union because Korean government has not recognized only one union in a workplace and prohibited multiple trade unions by the law. Finally, union was recognized as lawful one after changing by-law of KT trade union on Nov. last year.
Then they demanded for various forms of bargaining many times like sending official documents to have a dialogue with KT for the improvement of working condition. However, KT perpetrated appeasement and menace against unionists to impede just union activity, what is more, dismissed core leaders of union. In addition to this, on Dec. year 2000, KT committed massive sacking of seven thousand contract workers in the name of restructuring. At that time, nationwide contract workers united within the union as the spirit "We won't die like this" and went on the legal strike on Dec. 13 after all.
Korea Telecom Contract Workers' Union has struggled for these call,
1.Implement the promise of conversion into permanent worker!
2.Repeal illegal subcontract against contract workers!
3.Compensate for unionists' material and mental damages done during the period of industrial action!
Their call is just though, KT capital have not attended so much as bargaining sincerely far from meeting our demands.
Consequently, they determined to struggle occupying telephone office as the means for labor exploitation of capital, for achieving the call by the strong hit on KT capital. On March 29 this year, about two thousand unionists occupied Mok-Dong telephone office in Seoul with the strong will for combat at the risk of their lives. After this struggle, lots of comrades were injured by the violent attack of police commandos, six comrades including chairperson Hong, Jun Pyo were arrested and all unionists got judicial punishment. Media, police, Ministry of Labor, state power was not on our side. In spite of the brutal suppression, KT contract worker unionists strengthened their resolution more than ever before and then struggled militantly. They put pressure on KT capital and capitalist regime while mobilizing various tactics such as nationwide-tour struggle, high-altitude demonstration hanging on the optical cable, occupation struggle on the rooftop of National Assembly Memberst our comrades one by one by the enemy, they devoted ourselves to this struggle determining to be arrested every fight because they knew that worker must fight to regain labor rights. Nineteen comrades were arrested so far and chairperson Hong, Jun Pyo is in jail after being sentenced of imprisonment for two years and six months. KT capital and government drove out all unionists as offenders against the law. In the process of struggle, one comrade passed away and the other comrade is suffering from speech disability.
Strike-struggle has been going up to the 324th day though, they do never retreat. They are preparing the 2nd all-out struggle again, for they are aware that they must struggle to live as the worker on the land of capital. Even if it is so difficult struggle that all unionists cannot help but resolving to be arrested, they are preparing great struggle to regain labor rights since they know so well the fact that any worker cannot be free, as long as casual worker system would not be abolished in this world.
Korea Telecom Contract Workers' struggle is just and right. Especially in the public sector, struggle of KT contract workersate of casual worker in South Korea is concerned. Therefore, we are sure to win in the end. We believe our victory when more comrades make solidarity to our struggle actively and light the fire of new struggle in Korean society. Besides, our victory does not only belong to KT contract workers
"Workers all over the world, unite!" is said. Today we appeal for solid unity and solidarity of working brothers from Asia-Pacific region in this place. Comrades, let us organize strike-struggle against neo- liberalist restructuring such as the flexible labor policy, privatization in the public sector and the proliferation of casual workers covering globally, after getting back to your countries. That is the only way to achieve the victory of all workers.
We wish comrade's‘casual worker system' of KT contract workers's
We appeal for comrade's all-out struggle of KT contract workers
1. Sending protest letter for urging Kim, Dae Jung gov't to ensure KT contract workers
President Kim, Dae Jung
E-mail : president@cwd.go.kr
FAX : +82-2-770-0347
Minister of Labor You, Yong Tae
FAX : +82-2-504-6708
2. Sending your union's statement and solidarity message when all unionists start the 2nd all-out struggle
Korea Telecom Contract Workers' Union
E-mail: ktnodong@jinbo.net
FAX: +82-2-2236-2555
Website: http://kt.jinbo.net
3. Sending solidarity fund for the victory of the 2nd all-out struggle
Most of unionists are suffering from the difficulty in managing their lives, expensive hospital cost caused by the violence of riot police during the long-period struggle over three hundred days. Your union's support and solidarity give us big strength.
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