Korean Women Workers' Movement, Let's Fly High!
- in celebration of 100 years of international women's day, organized by Working Women's Hope Forum
Kwon Mi-hyeok, chairperson of the Korean Womenlink started her brief presentation, suggesting "we should make approaches to women workers' daily lives, specific livelihoods and their work" as the foremost tasks. She also mentioned her organization's activity plans to reflect women workers' situation in law campaigns, and honestly told us of her diverse ways to make close approaches to discriminations women workers go through in their lives and workplace, saying "the Korean Womenlink will endeavor to fulfill our antidiscrimination related activities."
Next, Park Namhee, chairperson of KWTU indicated as its outward tasks, tackling discrimination against women workers and achieving effective equal pay for work of equal value, and removing discrimination against irregular workers, clearly stating "discrimination in the labor market is at a very dangerous level. In addition, she stated her organization's plans to reinforce leadership training for women staff and to practice activities for sharing pain together.
Kim Sunhee, director of FKTU's women bureau was followed, saying "there are still many difficulties in carrying out activities for women workers at FKTU", and mentioning her activity plans to cultivate women executive members, to fulfill affirmative actions, and to monitor to what extent women workers' issues can be reflected in the collective agreements.
Kim Jung-A, head of women's department of KCTU stated "KCTU's foremost issue is to form industry union nowadays. I have raised my concerns for how to tackle gender issues in the new era of industry based trade unions." She also presented us her plans to carry out research projects to tackle discrimination in terms of wages and employment and to protect women workers' occupational safety and health, and activities to balance work and family, plans to enhance gender equality through affirmative actions in the organization and provide leadership training for women staff, and those to carry out compulsory training on gender equality through regulation amendment.
Choi Sangrim, chairperson of KWWA stated "KWWA has already evaluated its achievements for the last 20 years and set up future directions." She also underlined her future plans to improve appropriate organizational activities for women workers, to call for legal changes to jump over polarized labor markets, and to provide alternative social activities to confront prevailing social norms. In particular, she claimed that the women workers' movement should be expanded in their lives as well as in the workplace to fight against neo-liberalization, and mentioned her concerns for fostering alternative discourses and philosophies on quality of life as well as addressing wages and discrimination issues in the women workers' movement.
Dr. Eun Soo-mi as an expert penal gave her message saying "I really hope the Korean women workers' movement can achieve its wings of hope." She also underlined "we should address something similar in similar ways and use different methods to address something different," mentioning that the women workers' movement should look at how to treat differences amongst women. She also pointed out the needs for sensitivity for social minorities and active collective activities.
Lee Joo-hee, a professor in the Sociology Dept., as an expert penal addressed how to remove task segregation by gender, to reduce wage gaps by gender and by type of employment, to prevent in direct employment of irregular workers (prevent women workers from being subcontracted), to activate female union membership, and to improve occupational safety and health for women workers.
In the second session, participants were divided into two groups: one exchanged views about 'equal pay for work of equal value' and the other, 'daily lives and concerns of women workers' activists'. At last participants declaimed a statement entitled 'women workers, declare a new age of hope.'