[vol.27] Voice1_Inha Uni. 35-Day Struggle for Employment Succession

Inha Uni. 35-Day Struggle for Employment Succession
-struggle by contracted women cleaners, Inha Uni. Inha College branch-

Hwang Yong-mi ● KWTU Incheon Branch, vice-president

Dispatching Branch President to Cleaning Apartments
9In 1999, the services company unilaterally changed its mode of contract to the system of annual wages. And said that severance pay and bonuses as promised on recruitment are all included in the annual wages. This meant that severance pay and family allowances were all contained in the monthly salary of 500,000 won. The severance pay promised was unilaterally done away with.
Some people who left the company had filed a petition to the local labor office to receive their overdue severance pay and it was only then that people found out severance pay must be paid even in the system of annual wages. Then the company changed from the annual wage system (with severance pay) to the system of monthly wages and pressured people to sign a contract with a 30,000 won deduction from meal benefits. CHOI, Ok-soon (the president of the branch) refused to sign and the company dispatched Ms Choi to clean apartments as a retaliatory measure.
This was an unfair measure against Ms Choi and she promptly contacted the student body asking them for help who in turn contacted the KWTU. "We need to form a union but don't know how and so I just ran for help to the student body. That's when I knew that the KWTU existed.."  

The Emotional Formation of the Branch Union
The branch union was formed on October 24, 2001. "This is still like a dream and not reality. We have been recruited as a cleaners some 10. 13. and 17 years ago, and most of workers are in their 50s and some in their 60s. We never thought we would see a day like this. People have to live long. We all thought that unions are for people working in big companies and for younger people. I never thought I would become part of a union," said the oldest woman, with a bright smile, her face lined with the wrinkles of hard work. The inauguration of the union was followed with the election of the president of the union and its officers, with more congratulatory messages from the students of the university. It had not been an easy inauguration because most of the women feared some kind of retaliation from the company.
 
Payment of overdue wages and bonuses
The negotiations with the company on overdue wages and severance pay were not easy. The company complained that their service fees received from the university were small and put off payments to a later date. The company refused to reimburse the meal fees that were deducted. After the failure of the 5th negotiations, union members decided to put on 'irregular workers' vests' and do their work. This struggle ended in 5 minutes but attracted much attention from the school. The company decided to settle all overdue wages, severance pay with a 200% bonus and meal payment of 20,000 won. We struggled together against the company and achieved our demands, something that was unthinkable before the formation of the union, even though we had been working for the same company for over 10 years.

Struggle Against Contract Cancellations
After the formation of the union, the union members worked harder than ever. It was a severe winter and the women worked hard clearing the snow and undertook all kinds of menial duties without complaint. However, as the date of contract renewals drew near, the contracting company Juyong Co. Ltd, set up a new company under a different name (in the name of the wife of the current CEO) and fired two workers in charge of the dormitories. And sent out contract expiration notices to the remaining 34 workers. At first everyone it was a customary gesture. However, setting up a false services company and then sending contract expiration notices meant only one thing - the intention of the company to dissolve the union. A woman worker who had worked for 18 years said, "I have always worked even when the company changes hands. I have never received contract expiration notices. I have never been fired when my contract expired. The important thing is work. What do the mean by firing me?"
The two workers who got fired on the basis of 'work negligence' were known as very hardworking people, even receiving compliments from the university authorities. They have never took a day off from work for 7 years. Other union members have signed a new contract with the new company. The union requested a meeting but the chauffeur of the president of the company came out and said, "the president sees no necessity to meet." A few days ago, the president of Juyong Co. Ltd., had promised employment succession but under the new company in his wife's name, he refused to meet with the union.

35-day struggle under the hot sun
The struggle  to go back to work started the next day of the dismissal. Union members wore 'irregular worker vests' and worked. Ms Choi who worked only for half a day was forced to do work amounting to a day's work. She started her work very early in the morning to finish her work and in the afternoon, immersed herself in union activities.
Union members held a rally during lunch time at the main entrance to the university. Everyone was self-conscious at first and could not even shout their slogans but after a while, they could speak for 20 to 30 minutes in the rallies. It was indeed a tremendous change.
The women wore their vests even under the hot sun. It was very difficult for the women to open rallies every day when the temperatures were over 35 degrees. The women went to the university authorities for help but to no avail. They were all thrown out of the office.
The women were angered at such treatment and vowed not to let the matter rest. Petitions were handed out to the students and rallies continued in front of the main headquarters of the university. Students who had staged a sit-in struggle at the dean's office were promised that the university would guarantee the employment succession of the women workers. The students
fought side by side with the women workers from the very beginning.
On the 35th day of the struggle, the university authorities cancelled its contract with the services company and the new services company brought in promised that all women workers would be reinstated to their jobs. The Incheon branch of the KWTU and members of the student body witnessed the signing of the new contract. Union members threw off their vests and hugged each other in happiness. All union members shouted in victory and the two women workers who had been fired wept tears of relief.