Our Achievements and Future Tasks in the Korean Women Workers’ Movement
HOT ISSUES & NOTICE 2008. 2. 20. 13:08
A symposium was organized on October 30th, 2007 in celebration of 20 years of KWWA. The first symposium under the title of “Women’s Work, Changes for 20 years and Prospect” examined objectively the changes of ‘Korean women workers’ for the past 20 years, and the second symposium looked subjectively at how ‘women workers’ movement’ has been changed.
20 years of empowering Korean women workers
Choi Sangrim, chairperson of Korean Women Workers Association (KWWA) largely made 4 divisions of our activities by period.
First of all, between 1987 when KWWA was founded and 1992, KWWA was very actively involved in the establishment of democratic trade unions. A highest number of trade unions were organized in
During the second period between 1992 and 1998, the necessity for our supporting trade unions was steadily decreased due to the foundation of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU). There was a rising necessity for organizing unorganized women workers, and so we at KWWA carried out activities such as vocational training, job placement, and open classes to meet women workers’ needs. Hotline for Equality, hotlines for improving equal employment for women was initiated in 1994.
Thirdly, between 1998 and 2002 most women workers experienced sudden poor working conditions such as unemployment, irregular employment and underemployment due to the Korean financial crisis in late 1997. 9 branch offices of KWWA across the nation established the ‘Action Center for Women’s Unemployment’ to publicize serious situations of unemployed women who had been mostly ignored in the shade of social concerns about male breadwinners’ unemployment, and as a consequence, our activities generated the provision of social welfare systems for ‘unemployed women’.
In addition, Korean Women’s Trade Union (KWTU) was established in 1999 to tackle difficulties of irregular women workers. Different forms of irregular employment were largely spread out in the Korean society since the Korean financial crisis. The membership of KWTU was about 450 in 1999 when it was founded, presently increased to 6000, and it is evaluated as a good example of organizing various kinds of irregular women workers.
During the fourth period from 2002 up to the present, KWWA has tried to tackle women workers’ poverty that has become far more serious by socioeconomic polarization. The National Cooperative of House Managers (NCHM) and the
Women Activists evaluated ”what good jobs we have done”
All of KWWA’s women activists were engaged in the self-evaluation of our activities for the past 20 years and chose the following as “our good jobs.”
The most fruitful outcome was the improvement of acts and regulations. For the 20 years we have undertaken the improvement of numerous regulations and acts such as Infant Care Act (enacted in 1991), Sexual Equality Employment Act (in 1987), Employment Insurance Act (in 1993), Gender Discrimination Prevention & Relief Act (enforced in 1997), paid beak for childcare (introduced in 2001), assistance system for unemployed women householders (in 1998), and minimum wage system. Additionally, our activities have had a great impact on government’s policy making.
“What we like the most is the enactment of the Infant Care Act. At that time, people had to bring their kids from very distant places by bus (to put their children in childcare centers). So, childcare facilities are so valuable to us. Mothers whose children were cared in the centers joined signature collecting campaign together. We were very happy when the act was made.”
The second most fruitful outcome was the establishment of women’s trade unions. Many doubted the establishment of Korean Women’s Trade Union (KWTU), although they agreed on the necessity of the establishment, but KWTU was founded amid the swirl of the economic crisis, and has been growing with 6,000 members. As a result, we evaluated to have two main pillars in the Korean women workers’ movement.
“For 7 years we have fought for irregular workers that none is concerned. At that time, we seemed in the fog of uncertainty. KWTU was only one solution. We could help trying to organize women workers in workplace to reach out our hands for them. We believe setting up (women’s) trade union would encourage irregular women workers whose voice was unheard to speak up in the society. So (we believe) women workers were able to tackle (their problems by themselves).”
Organizing women in need was evaluated as the third most fruitful outcome by female activists. They were marginalized as unemployed women, women in poverty, irregular workers in the labor market, but KWWA has carried out activities but to organize and empower women workers who are in a vicious circle of unemployment, underemployment and employment, not just to give assistance to them. In the forms of cooperatives as well as KWTU, attempts to organize women have been made, and some of them are very successful. The National Cooperative of House Managers (NCHM) is a valuable example.
“There were unorganized workers working as underemployed workers, the unemployed and working women in the informal sector. A lot! We felt we should play our role in helping those people and their organizations to speak out through any form of organization. So, we made this cooperative. KWWA aims to activate and consolidate the organization. Our role is to help this self-dependent organization grow rather than to confine it within KWWA.”
Our most important task is improving the quality of life for women workers impoverished due to socio-economic polarization
Rapidly changing globalization and socioeconomic polarization have affected the Korean women workers’ movement. Most women activists agreed that ‘improving the quality of life for women workers’ is the most important task.
“For example, in 1987 we demanded to increase wages and improve working conditions. But now we call for more jobs for women. (We can say) we seemed in retreat and so are women workers. At that time, we demanded all of the abolishment of gender discrimination, and equal pay for equal work, but now we ask the government to create more jobs. Since the conditions are worsening, the scope of our tasks is wider.”
“People have become individualized in severe competition, so people have lost easy and composed attitudes. We are trying to help people to speak up and lead a happy life. Our initial aim of our movement and activities are still going on.”
Choi Sangrim, chairperson of KWWA emphasized ‘equal pay for work of equal value should be applied in the society through gender-equal job analysis, all workers should be beneficiaries of the 4 major social insurances, and irregular workers should be socially insured in the medical, housing and education fields.’ In order to achieve this, she indicated ‘the women workers’ movement should develop methods of organization in accordance with women’s situations and help them grow as a variety of organizations. The alternative economic movement should be expanded and reached to daily lives as well as workplaces.
I’ve already grown as a middle-grade activist over the time of endurance
Professor Shin Kyeong-ah, in charge of the second debate, evaluated merits of women workers’ associations in the following after carrying out in-depth interviews with 12 women workers.
(The researcher evaluated each) branch organization under KWWA looked at what have needed for women workers (workplace-oriented), provided what they have needed (practice-oriented), and (evaluated) the backbone of the movement was women workers (people-led). The organizations can be said to be a driving force for successful law reform movement.”
However, the researcher evaluated women workers working at KWWA’s organizations had seemed very exhausted after analyzing 12 activists’ lives, and participants agreed about that. As shown through a talk by an activist “I’ve already grown as a middle-grade activist over time of endurance,” systematic training program is urgently needed. In addition, ‘carrying out generation-cognitive projects,’ ‘increasing payment and reducing workloads,’ and ‘preparing projects for retired activists’ were pointed out as our future tasks.