Will you leave KTX and Saemauel express trains women workers alone on the 40 meter high steel tower even on the Choosuk national holiday day of hope and integration?

 

Will you leave KTX and Saemauel express trains women workers alone on the 40 meter high steel tower even on the Choosuk national holiday day of hope and integration?

Korea Railroad Corporation should solve the problem for the KTX and Saemauel express train women workers urgently!

On September 8, 2008, civil and women's organizations such as Cultural Action, Women Corea, Korean Women's Trade Union, Buddhist Solidarity for Reform, People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, Korean Women’s Associations United, Action, and KYC had a press conference in front of KTX Seoul Station,  calling for prompt solutions for KTX and Saemauel express train women workers.

These organizations made their severe criticism of the Korea Railroad Corporation for no will to settle KTX and Saemauel express train women workers' issues which have been unsettled for over 900 days and its rudeness of keeping on outsourcing human resources, and demanded that the corporation should take responsible action for the problem in accordance with 2006's recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and the decision by the Seoul district court and high court that the Korea Railroad Corporation is the real owner. In addition, these organizations demanded that the corporation should solve the problem promptly in order for the women workers not to spend the national holiday on the 40meter steel tower, and in order to make an exemplary and mutually beneficial case and to create a cooperative society like a full moon of cooperation and happiness.

In the press conference, participants from civil and women's organizations visited the women workers on strike on the 40 meter steel tower and had a good talk, and sent support and encouragement through saying Oh Misun, union branch leader struggling on the high steel tower, "KTX and Saemauel express train women workers, cheer up!" by a megaphone.

 

<Appeal by KTX and Saemauel express train women workers>

If you ignore our rights to live which are hanging on the steel tower, we also have an idea.

It has been 13 days since KTX and Saemauel express train women workers stayed and went on strike on the 40 meter steel tower. Nobody can imagine how dizzy it is until you climb it up. During the day, strong sun heats us up and we are caught in rain on rainy days.  Although this old steel tower shake and rocks very hard by winds, we are determined because KTX and Saemauel express train women workers' rights to live depend on us. Women workers in the Busan Station have been carrying out hunger strikes again. Busan Station and Seoul Station branch union leaders have been on sympathy hunger strike. However, the cold and inhumane Korean society and the Korea Railroad Corporation ignore these hunger strikes. Our strike on this high steel tower is likely to be forgotten soon. The Korean society largely ignore irregular workers and their lonely voices are not echoing in the society.

Giryung Electronics workers have been on strike for about 100 days. Even if E*land workers have still fought, none remember them. Koscom workers still resist even though they have to sleep on the street without tents because their tents are so torn out. Only the police, prosecution, and court remember irregular workers' struggles and push them toward the cliff by the traps of penalties, confinement, and provisional dispositions.

However, our comrades never cease visiting us to this tower. Railroad regular workers and irregular workers visit us and stay overnight to share our tears. In Seoul and Busan, railroad union leaders at every rank and union branch leaders have carried out sympathy hunger strikes. Giryung Electronics workers, E*land workers, and Koscom workers console and encourage one another. In addition people from civil organizations always stay with us. Recently, netizens have visited us to the place where we are in strike and held candlelights for us. Like this, your heartfelt care, attention and encouragement help us to resist day by day although our struggle is very hard and painful. I am sure the little and lonely candlelight can be lit very well like bright fires.

The Choosuk, one of the most important national holiday days is just around corner. The Choosuk holiday is very special to Koreans by railroad, a foot for passengers visiting home. When national holidays such as Choosuk come, dismissed irregular workers are more lonely and sad. In particular, during the coming national holiday, we, KTX and Saemauel express train women workers have to stay on this steel tower and the place where striking workers have gathered. We think about the trains taking passengers to home, and we "should take action." We like passengers using the Seoul Station and the Busan Station to hear the heartbreaking voices of irregular workers.

Accordingly, we have decided to take so strong action that passengers visiting home can gather together and worry about KTX and Saemauel express train women worker's issues and irregular workers' problems, and so irregular workers' matters can be serious social issues. We make our last appeal to the directors of the Korea Railroad Corporation. Please do not ignore women workers striking on this steel tower and on hunger strike in the Busan Station. KTX and Saemauel express train women workers are on the edge of the cliff. The solution of our women workers' problems are up to the directors, but our desperate resistances are up to our women workers' determination and resolution.  We urge the Korea Railroad Corporation to solve this matter through conversation again. Thank you.

- KTX and Saemauel express train women workers fighting against dismissals and cancellation of contracts informed on September 8, 2008-

<Press Conference>

Will you leave KTX and Saemauel express trains women workers alone on the 40 meter high steel tower even on the Choosuk national holiday of hope and integration?

The Korea Railroad Corporation should solve the women workers' matters promptly!

900 days have passed since the KTX and Saemauel express trains women workers started their struggles, demanding that the corporation should provide them direct employment and remove gender discrimination. Since August 27, 2008 the women workers have initiated their lonely and frightened struggles on the 40 meter steel tower because of their desperation that 'they have no place to go any more.'

 

So far, a wide variety of civil organizations including the circles from religion, academy and women have indicated that the issues of the KTX and Saemauel express trains women workers are irregular workers' distorted and unequal matters in our society, violating human rights, and is also a symbolic incident that highlights gender discrimination, and have continued to demand on a smooth and reasonable solution. In addition, in 2006, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea declared that the Korea Railroad Corporation practiced actual gender discriminations and is responsible for correcting the discriminations, recommending "The Korea Railroad Corporation should remove gender discrimination through providing fair employment conditions for women workers."

After the Seoul district court in 2007, on April 8, 2008, the Seoul high court also decided that the Korea Railroad Corporation should be an actual user. This means the corporation should take responsibility for solving irregular women workers' problems. However, the Korea Railroad Corporation has ignored the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and decisions by both of the district and high courts and kept outsourcing resources for 3 years, giving indescribable physical and mental agonies to women workers.

The large public corporation employing more than 30,000 workers has rejected the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea and decisions by both of the district and high courts, and left the urgent matter unsettled, which is unfair and unreasonable, violating human rights severely. In addition, its bad actions distorting and denouncing women workers' struggles are very irrational and savage behaviors pushing the women workers' backs to the cliff.

The Choosuk national holidays on which hundreds of thousands of people visiting home are just around the corner. We urge the Korea Railroad Corporation to recognize that the national holiday means the economical abundance, the political hope, and the way of social integration from the point of view of magnanimity and tolerance, and to take an active action to solve this problem in order for women workers not to spend the national holiday on the 40 meter steel tower. We hope the Korea Railroad Corporation to accept this suggestion and to make the society of integration like the bright full moon on the Choosuk national holiday through setting up a good case between the capital and the labor.

dated on September 8, 2008

by Korean civil and women's organizations urging the corporation to provide prompt solutions for the KTX and Saemauel express trains women workers

quoted from http://www.women21.or.kr/news/?pid=news&sid=02&gbn=view&ix=1295