[vol.19] [The Action Center for Women's Unemployment] Unemployed Women's Association for Overcoming Unemployment, an autonomous organization to overcome unemployment as a core identity
WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:11Unemployed Women's Association for Overcoming Unemployment, an autonomous organization to overcome unemployment as a core identity
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Jeong Im Yoo |
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On September 12 1998, the Mutual Aid Women's Association for Overcoming Unemployment was established. It is an organization of jobless women and has a membership of 453 at the present time, May 26 1999. The jobless women assist each other and provide countermeasures through the Mutual Aid Women's Association for Overcoming Unemployment. |
The establishment of the Mutual Aid Women's Association for Overcoming Unemployment
The Equal Rights Counseling of Inchon Women Workers Association counseled 400 cases in the year of 1997. Most were regarding unpaid wages and unfair working conditions. The situation worsened entering into 1998. In March of 1998 alone, the center counseled 148 cases.
In order to manage the rapidly-increasing counseling workload, the "Women's Counseling Center for an End to Dismissals through Restructuring and for the Promotion of Employment" was set up. Since then, the counseling clients have increased to such a large extent that all the staff of the office have had to devote their time to the clients.
The unemployment problem is now threatening low-income women of 40 to 50 years old, who have consequently been suffering hardship. In particular the unemployment of women who are the sole breadwinners for their families is now in serious crisis. Compared to those experienced by male family heads, the problems faced by female family heads have not been paid serious attention by our society.
The Korea Women Workers Association United raised the issue of the importance of female family breadwinners, and the Seoul Broadcasting System put their message on air. Accompanied by the slogan "Let's help matriarchs!", a fund-raising scheme has been carried out.
The Korea Women Workers Associations United, the Seoul Broadcasting System, and the Korea Women's Association United have been working for a fund-raising performance with the theme "Helping and giving hope to unemployed matriarchs" as a joint programme on July 3. The funds raised will be used to assist matriarchal families.
A list of the women to be assisted was required. In Inchon, we had about three hundred clients and over sixty percent were family heads. We selected twenty women who were in the most serious situation. The women wrote letters and applications. In the process they had several meetings and more opportunities to meet with each other. In the meetings, we started with a physical exercise in order to relax their tired and tense bodies and conducted group counseling.
In group counseling, we held an open discussion with the theme "When I am most upset", and helped them to share their suffering, to comfort each other, and to look for ways to solve their problems. It was good that they were very open with each other. They talked, cried, laughed, and developed solidarity.
The meeting was very free, warm, and familiar. The experience with them inspired us to form a regular meeting for unemployed female family heads. The meeting was given the theme "alleviating the shock of dismissal and regaining determination". A monthly meeting of matriarchs has been launched.
On June 24, an opening ceremony for the "Action Center for Unemployed Women" was held to mark the beginning of activities for the unemployed. The registered unemployed women exceeded four hundred. Due to the increasing number of clients and their need for recruitment information, there have been demands for an autonomous organization of the unemployed in which they could work out countermeasure activities not merely as beneficiaries but as policy-makers and activists. Therefore we decided to establish the unemployed Women's Association.
On September 12, 1998, the Mutual Aid Women's Association held its opening ceremony. At the opening, about 100 members affiliated to the Association, a secretary general was elected, and an editor was appointed. The Association decided to publish a monthly newsletter, with the title 'Good Neighbors', and to share information through the newsletter.
The newsletter acts as a forum in which to invite other women to join. Afterwards, all the clients were introduced to the Association. Since then all clients have been encouraged to visit the office. On their visit, they can access more precise counseling in terms of the unemployment problems and other difficulties in daily life.
Meetings of the Association and the program of "Meetings to overcome unemployment" attracted 70 to 80 participants on average. On December 12, about 150 women took part in an end of year party. The membership has since increased.
A general assembly of the Unemployed Women's Association
In order to prepare for the general assembly, some active members of the Association were collected and formed a core group. The core group members underwent education and training on the problems of women workers in Korean society, the role of the Action Center for Women's Unemploy-ment, the role of the Mutual Aid Women's Association, etc.
Afterwards the core group became a preparatory committee for the Un-employed Women's Association and the committee worked together for the preparation of the general assembly.It has been too much work for the staff of the office to assist the members of the Unemployed Women's Association which total over four hundred. The participants of the monthly meeting and those who want to join the Mutual Aid Women's Association are always over a hundred, and it was impossible to provide counseling on their visits.
Therefore we decided to divide them in accordance with their residential areas. We appointed 25 regional leaders from those who have been very active in their membership commitments. The 25 leaders report their members' stories in the monthly meetings. They provide a network for members. There were two leadership training sessions.
Finally we held a general assembly on February 6 1999 in which we amended the constitution. The chair woman, vice-chairwoman, auditor, and publications editor were elected by members and the 25 regional leaders introduced themselves. Since the assembly, the monthly meeting of Women's Association is followed by the Unemployed regional leaders' meeting, the monthly meeting of an executive committee, which is composed of the Association leaders, two monthly meetings of the publication members, etc., provide the main structure for our activities.
On International Women's Day on March 8, about 30 member of the Association took part in the program and they contributed thoughts on the problems of unemployed women. In order to help the unemployed women of 40 to 50 years old, who make up, in fact, a large proportion of unemployed women, the executive committee members and regional leaders distributed 400 copies of job-wanted advertisementslast April.
Management of membership fees of the Unemployed Women's Association
At present the membership fee for the Association is W2,000, about US$1.6, and the amount so far collected is W2,234,000, about US$1,787.20. Some of the membership fees have been spent on expenses incurred sending congratulations and condolences.
When members and their family members have weddings, babies, funerals, reach 60 years old, are hospitalized, and so on, the executive committee decides the sum of the allowances. So far 9 members have received W380,000. The Mutual Aid Women's Association has played an assisting role to the members.
The formation of the Unemployed Women's Association
The Association holds monthly meetings in which new membership arrangements are made and recruitment information and counselings are provided. Each month has a useful program for unemployed women. They conducted a medical check in January, a general assembly in February, a community group programme in March, a program on female disease in April, a family picnic in May, and a seminar on unemployment policy in Inchon in June.
Future tasks of the Unemployed Women's Association
The Association now has its own autonomous formation independent of the Women Workers Association. The concrete responsibilities of the executive committee members, the active will of the regional leaders, and the affection of the members, who now regard the Association as their home, make up the biggest and most consolidated base of the Association.
The Association is now responsible for addressing problems of unemployment - overcoming the painful experiences of losing jobs, helping members recover their determination, and consolidating a female support community through active sharing and exchanges between the members.
Furthermore the Association will develop other activities that can also assist members attain self-development when the women workers union is established. The Association will autonomously set up its own future vision and strategy.