[vol.21] [Equal Rights Counselling] Analysis on Equal Rights Counselling Center

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:39

Equal Rights Counselling


Analysis on Equal Rights Counselling Center

- Analysis on the figures drawn by the Equal Rights Counselling in 1999 -


In Soon Wang (Sec. Gen., KWWAU)


Period of counselling : December 1999 ~ January Number counselled totaled 1,273 cases (ones re-counselled are excluded.)

 

The total number counselled excluding cases re-counseled was 1,273. Among them, after 324 cases that were classified into others were excluded, out of the remaining 949 cases, 740 cases were about employ- ment insecurity such as with- held back wages, lay-offs, unfair labor practices, and unfair dismissals, which accounted for 78%.

This represents serious levels of employ- ment insecurity for women workers in reality. Out of the 949 cases, 85 cases were divided into sexual harassment in the workplace (9.0%), 63 cases discriminations in the workplace such as discriminative wage systems and discrimination in promotion (6.6%), 41 cases maternity protections (4.3%) and 20 cases occupational diseases (1.2%).

In details, according to counselling related to employment insecurity which was the great majority, withheld back wages accounted for 504 cases (53.0%), layoffs and discriminative dismissals and unfair dismissals, and discriminative dismissals for 180 cases (19.0%), unfair labor practices 56 cases (6.0%).

< Cases counselled in 1998 and 1999 >

 

case counselled

1998

1999

Employment insecurity

912 cases

740 cases

Sexual Harassment in the workplace

28

84

discrimination

39

63

Maternity protection.and occupational health and safety

21

61

others

102

324

total

1102

1273

(*Cases re-counselled were excluded.)

The cases classified into others were about verbal violence and violent abuse in the workplace, four(4) Korean social security insurances, and difficulties related to their work and lives (education of their children, divorces and so on).

Compared to ones in 1998, in 1999 outstanding were cases counselled relating to verbal violence and violent abuse in the workplace, and unemployment insurance. Additionally, there was the bigger number of counselling done reqarding on sexual harassment.

The main causes of withheld back wages were bankruptcies, shut-downs, closure of factories besides withheld back wages under the pretext of financial difficulties in the Korean economic crisis.

If cases of dismissals are considered, there were higher number of discriminative unfair ones, illegal and unfair ones that do not follow regulations concering on dismissals , and no discussion dismissals occurring at very small companies and unreasonable ones.

In particular, there were outstandingly higher pressures on retirement and dismissals related to pregnancy and child-delivering, pressures on forced job transfers into irregular workers, relative to ones in previous years.

On the other hand, there was an increase in cases related to maternity protection. This shows unfair labor practices such as forced retirement on pregnancy and child-delivering have been wide-spread.

Especially, there is an increasing trends towards the number of irregular women workers and they are not properly protected by the Labor Standard Law. This shows women workers' worsening situation in which maternity protection has been retroqrade under the excuse of the Korean economic crisis.

Cases sexual harassment in the workplace totaled 85. By case, 43 cases were involved in physical sexual harassment, 31 verbal harassment, 5 visual sexual harassment, and 6 others. According to perpetrators, 24 cases of sexual harassment were done by company owners, 50 by superiors, 6 by co-workers, 1 by a superior and 3 cases by others (one was excluded because there was no proper answer).

Distribution according to counselees

If Distribution according to counselees in 19999 is considered, women workers working in a company with less than 10 employees were great majority of the counselees. In addition, there was an increasing number of irregular workers, which shows that there has been a far higher number of them.

A higher number of counselling with married women

< Ratio between married women and unmarried women workers >

1998

1999

Unmarried

33.7%

34.4%

Married

66.3%

65.6%

Excluding 101 cases with no answers, unmarried women accounted for 403 cases (34.4%), married women for 769 (65.6%). The rate of counselling with married women was far higher. This shows the reality that married women workers work in very

small-size companies and that their work hours have been increasing. Additionally, this represents a variety of unfair practices and difficulties faced by married women workers at home and in the workplace.

a far higher percent of women working in companies where workers are unorganized

Excluding cases with no answers, amongst the remaining 947, 82 cases (8.7%) occurred in companies where a trade union is organized and 865 (91.3%) were cases counseled with women workers who worked in companies where no trade union is set up.

In 1998, was far higher the rate of unorganized women workers. This shows the recent reality that trade union participation rate of women workers is less than 10%.

On the other hand, amongst the 82 cases with women workers who worked in the company where a trade union is organized, 51 women workers joined the trade union. This shows that women workers are usually excluded from a trade union, even though it is unorganized in the workplace.

This is because women workers are mostly irregular workers and so, only certain groups of workers are selectively able to join a trade union.

< percentage of counselled by workplace >

1998

1999

organization

86.2%

91.3%

Cases counselled by company size

Excluding 433 cases with no answers, out of the remaining 840 cases, counselees working in companies with less than 5 workers accounted for 216 cases (25.7%), between 5 and 9 workers for 25.5%, between 10 and 29 workers for 22.6%, and more than 30 workers for 26.2%.

An increasing number of counselling with irregular workers

Excluding 323 cases with no answers, out of the remaining 950 cases, regular workers accounted for 646 cases (68%), and irregular workers for 304 cases (32%). The number of counselling with irregular workers have been continuously increasing.

1998

1999

regular workers

72.1%

68%

irregular workers

27.9%

32%

Distribution by industry

According to the industries involved, industry where the great majority of counselees were engaged was the manufacturing industry, and it was followed by social and personal service industry, wholesale and retail, restaurant and accommodation.

Distribution by industry

1998

1999

manufacturing

61.2

41.7

social and personal service

27.1

33.1

financial and insurance industry

1.6

2.9

Wholesale and retail,restaurant and accommodation

6.4

10.8

storage,and communication

0.3

1.9

others

3.4

9.6

Distribution by occupation

Distribution by occupation

1998

1999

production

50

29.5

clerical

23.2

29.9

sales

6.2

6.6

service

8.4

16.3

professional and skilled

7.3

11.1

administrative and management

0.6

1.7

others

4.3

4.9

According to the occupations involved, the largest number of occupation where the great majority of counselees were engaged was clerical, and it was followed by production and service related occupations.

Korea Working Women's Network 2000
Posted by KWWA
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[vol.21] [Life story written by Park, Min-na] Yellow angel in Berlin

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:37

Life story written by Park, Min-na



Yellow angel in Berlin

- Young Sook Choi, Chairwoman of Cultural Association of Korea and Germany

                                           


                                                                     Min Na Park
                                                               (Edition committee member, KWWAU)


33 years ago, Young Sook Choi was in the group of dispatched nurses in Germany. She just completed her training. She signed the three years' contract and started her journey to Germany dreaming of a beautiful picture which she saw from a postcard.

In the early 60s, the national economy policy was very much export-oriented. The government exported not only product but labor, too. The Korean government concluded a convention with the German government.

Korea dispatched 10,000 nurses and 8,000 miners to Germany. Completing the contract time, some came back and some remained to form a resistant force struggling against the repressive military regime of Korea.

Tens of years have passed, and last October, Ms. Young Sook Choi came to Korea leading 'Thunder Sound', the youth cultural group which won the Millennium Festival Contest in Germany, in order to participate in the "Seoul Dream Festival".

Now Germany is her second home. What have left were her past times in Germany? Before her departure to Germany, I had a short but meaningful meeting with her. Wet rice in milk and tears On October 15, 1966, the day she arrived in Berlin, was a windy, rainy, and a cold autumn day with many fallen leaves on the street.

They were numbered(For a while, they were called by the numbers) and grouped. 17 nurses and assistants including her got on a two story bus and the bus ran into a strange street for a long time. "Where are we going to?" It was a very strange feeling.

It was raining lightly and so strange street brought fear. We took the bus for almost an hour. The place where the bus stopped was a dark building which seemed like no one lived in. It was a hospital for T.B. patients.

The Chief nurse was kind enough to cook rice for us. She knew that Asians ate rice. She boiled rice in milk and added sugar and cinnamon powder. None of us could eat. She seemed to worry a lot and said something however, we could not understand.

The rice in milk and the feeling I got on the very first day always reminds me of the first day in Germany." They could not speak even a word at that time and they started their living in the foreign country. "

We came to a civilized country all of sudden, and many of us could not step on the escalator. The automatic sensory light frightened us. Some of us said that there was a ghost to put on the light. (laughing) Some of us had no experience of flush toilets, and they stood on the toilet seat. In the morning, we often found soil from the toilet.

We joked that somebody dirtied their hips by soil. Ha, Ha, Ha,... We were so rustic. The nurses who came later were more civilized." She told us the stories laughing but they were like a prediction of her harsh life.

In Germany, the role of nurses included the looking after all the needs of patients and they had to obey doctors unconditionaly. Due to the language barrier, the general duties of nurses like injections, assisting doctors, etc. were not given to them.

They had to do the other works such as cleaning beds, cleaning rooms, washing patients, etc. They were so sad and frustrated that a nurse kicked two buckets full of water and cried out. Popular yellow angels with patients The dispatched nurses were young and in the 20s in age therefore the German nurses, who were mostly 40s to 50s, were jealous of the Korean nurses.

While Germans did not show their emotions easily, the Korean nurses were much kinder and diligent. They were called 'yellow angels' and very popular among the patients. When nurses are injecting, Korean nurses used to slap a hip to lighten the pain on injecting.

It was very new and strange for Germans and they liked it very much. The TB hospital was built in a beautiful place with very nice air for the TB patients therefore, she could be comforted by the scenery. She loved music.

She spent one third of the first salary to buy a record player. She went to the street even though she could not communicate and bought the 'Unfinished Symphony' of Schubert. She was so happy that she jumped up the street.

Fortunately, she could see the beautiful scenery through the windows of the hospital together with the beautiful music in her memory. The cultural shocks in a foreign country made her lonely. "A good friend of mine, Mi Young, was with me on the plane but we were separated and I did not know where she was. I missed her so much.

I could be comforted a bit by the fact that my friend is somewhere in the same city. I decided to look for her. In fact she was in the hospital near a lake. A month after I went to the hospital and happened to find her.

We hugged and cried for a while." Recalling the lonely, hard, and sad past stories, her eyes were full of tears. There was no information about life in Germany, and no information made it possible that a good number of nurses and assistants went to Germany. Their lives for the first few years were full of suffering and occupied by missing homeland.

Due to the language barrier, the nurses were treated as assistants and the assistants were treated as unskilled simple labor hence, they received very low wages. The unjust treatment continued even after they all adjusted to living in Germany.

After the three years of contract, some of them came back to Korea but those, who were responsible for the family financial needs, ie. education fees for brothers and sisters or living cost for the family, etc., made another contract. Since they were famous for kindness, they were welcomed for postponing their contract period.

The only harm was that they had to accept discriminated treatment compared with German nurses. "By time passing, we adjusted to our life in Germany and came to be proud of ourselves since we were very much welcomed by patients. So, working permission was renewed easily. Some of us started study in university and some of us married.

I also had a boy friend, who was a German.(Laughing) I was invited to a party and a German man showed his interest in me. He was tall, warm, and handsome with brown hair and brown eyes that made his face not like a German. He invited me for a date. He was very calm and very much caring for others.

I was very fortunate. Ha. Ha. Ha." Enforced repatriation due to the oil crisis The Oil Crisis in 1974 brought her, who had adjusted herself to living in Germany for more than ten years of time, a bitter trial.

The economic situation of Germany got worse, and more conservative state governments did not extend working permission period of Korean nurses and forced them to return back to Korea.

Furthermore, Korea was not able to provide workplace for the returned nurses. "It was all of sudden. When they needed us, they tried to hold us with sweet words. But they just threw us away like waste paper.

We were naturally organized and determined to struggle for our rights. In the process of the struggle, not only the nurses but the Korean students and residents implemented a strong resistance. From May of 1977 we started a signature campaign on the streets. We got good feedback from Germans. About 11,000 people signed for us.

The German nurses, who surely expected more work loads without us, were very much supportive, too." At last, their demands were accepted and the enforced repatriation stopped. The nurses, who worked for more than five years, received working permission with no limit of extension and those who worked for more than eight years received denizenship.

This experience provided her the turning point of her life. She just lived her life with her best without giving any harm to others. She thought, that was enough for a good life. However, she opened her eyes towards a broader world.

"The problems can be solved only when we are aware of the problems and commit ourself to the problem.' It was a lesson for the women, who were in struggle, and herself. They came to form the "Korean Women Residents in Germany United".

They had the common experience of living in other country. They could unite themselves very strongly based on the common experience. They began to question. "Why are we here? How did we become to come here?, etc., and to think about their home country.

At that time, in Korea the women workers in Dongil Textile were struggling and there was the YH case. They felt a strong solidarity with the women workers in Korea and they publicizing the stories from Korea to an international society.

The Ms. Young Sook Choi is receiving a thanks plague visiting the office of KWWAU.(November 2, 1999) perception of "We too are workers." made it possible to build up solidarity with Korean Women Workers' Association and other labor organizations through supporting their struggles and conducting joint struggle.

She married to the warm and pretty German man. Now she has a son. She brings her son to the meetings with her group. Her husband has a very democratic mentality and is very supportive of her activities.

She read lots of books through the group meetings. "Understanding of the history before and after liberation", "Shout of a stone", and some poems of poet Ji Ha Kim gave her a new perspective towards the history of Korea.

A new life brought by May Kwangju massacre How difficult the change of a human-being is? She also had a hard time to change herself. Her brain could understand the situation but, it took more time to move to a practical implementation of struggle. The May Kwangju massacre made her be reborn as a new woman.

She came to a decision that it is a sin to move backward any more. "In 1981, I had the second baby and had to quit my part time job in a hospital. More flexible time allowed me to spare more time for activities.

Mr. Jin Taek Son came to Germany at that time and he taught us Korean traditional rhythm instruments. It led me to commit myself to the cultural movement. Together with friends who learned the traditional rhythm instruments, we formed a cultural group with the name of 'Field plant'.

In 1985, we had a performance of "A light of a factory" in which we could introduce the situation of the Korean women workers and show our unity. In the performance we sang a song, "The pretty twinkling light... cannot return like this.

Be-missed hometown, cold and tiring night, here is another hometown..." The song tells our story. We left our mother land leaving our words, "Mom, we will be back with lots of money." But we never came back but remain here with tears of missing the mother land. We cried so much that we could not practice even.

Whenever we started our practice, we encouraged ourselves not to cry. But we used to end up with lots of tears. I still drop tears whenever I watch the video tape." The group had a performance tour and every place where they performed there was a full of audience. Young Sook Choi could strongly feel unity and solidarity through the performance and came to have a great love towards women. The Korean Women Residents in Germany United still gives her warmth and comfort like a mother's house.

Since then, she runs to the place whenever she is wanted. She became a militant. In 1986, she was involved in the memorial project for the late militant Kyoung Sook Kim and it mobilized her to pay lots of supports to KWWAU. When the women workers in Frea Fashion Co in Ihri conducted a struggle, she paid a visit to the headquarter of Frea Fashion Co. in Germany and organized a large scale of resistance struggle.

In 1987, she worked for the international solidarity and public relation in the "National Democratic Movement Association, and she build up solidarity with male colleagues. In August, 1990, she worked on "Joint soil Ceremony" which was a ceremony of mixing soil from South Korea and North Korea Scene from "99 Seoul Drum Festival" Chon Dung Sori(meaning thunder sound) organized by 'Pan National Rally'.

She paid a visit to North Korea for the program. From then, she worked for the Pan National Federation until 1995. Meanwhile she became a vice-president of the Cutural Association of Korea and Germany and started working for the youth activities. Young Sook Choi felt a crisis as the first generation of Korean residents in Germany.

Therefore she lets her kids learn Korean traditional culture. Her kids are attending a traditional drum class in King Saejong school, in which the kids learn Korean language. Now Germany is her second home country.

However, she has never forgotten her home country. Germany is really far away from Korea therefore she missed her mother more. She came to Korea last year because her mother got sick. As if like her mother could not pass away worrying about her daughter, her mother died a while after she came to Korea to see her mother.

Her lost her husband earlier and she did her best to look after her and her brother. Aspiring to literary honors In 1944, she was born in Seongju, North Kyoungsang province. Her father died in the war when she was eight years old. Her mother had to take care of her and her brother. She sold various items.

Young Young Sook was brilliant and very good in study. She was loved by many friends and teachers. She was a lonely and very introvert type of calm girl. She was very good at literature but she decided to enter a nursing school. It was in order to reduce expenses for board and lodging, because the nursing school ran a dormitory. As soon as she graduated from the nursing school, she got a job in the Soo Do Women's Training College for Teachers Hospital.

She did well in the interview so that she was sent to a better place. When she had to decide to quit her job in order to leave for Germany, she had a hard time to decide. "I was not mature enough to give up the plan of working in Germany. I knew nothing. Therefore it was possible to leave for Germany.

If I knew about the situation in Germany, I would not have gone. My mom lived a harsh life and I was so eager to help her. I also dreamed of a beautiful city in Germany. Mom cried every day expecting my hard life in another country. Neither of us expected that I would stay in Germany for such a long time."

They often heard, "Why don't you go back to your country?". It has already been 34 years. She is not any more an innocent girl dreaming of making lots of money or believing in the propaganda which says, "Wiring much money to your home country, you will become a patriot." She has gone through various experiences.

One day, Seok Young Hwang, a writer, gave her a nickname, "Director of the Institute for Various Problems". It fits her very well. She goes wherever she is called or wanted. Now after a short visit to Korea, she will be back to her family in Germany. It is not easy for her to come to Korea.

Therefore she feels friendly by passing the people on street and a fallen leaf on the street gives her some affection. She misses so many things in her mother land and missing them will give her more strength to work for making "The World where people can live as human beings." For that she will live a busy life in Berlin again.

Korea Working Women's Network 2000
Posted by KWWA
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[vol.21] NEWS

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:37
NEWs

Korean Women Workers Associations United

Seoul, Inchon, Puchon, Ansan, Kwangju, Mansan & Changwon, North Cholla, Pusan

 

 KWWAU


Opening of "Cake Cafe Youth", a model shop for the unemployed women(Octboer 4)

The Action Center for the Unemployed Women Workers has opened a cafe owing to the support of "Friends of Love". The cafe, "Youth", is a model shop for women family heads who want to run a shop.

Even though they worry about much possibility of failure, they prefer to run a small shop since they are not welcomed by employers. In order to help them to run a successful business, the Action Center for the Unemployed Women Workers of KWWAU has opened the cafe which will be a venue for the unemployed women to practice and to learn how to run a business.

The model shop will accumulate various experiences of running business and to support and encourage many women family heads to make a successful business.

President's award on the Memorial Day of Gender Equal Employment of 1999(Oct. 8)

There was a memorial ceremony for the Day of Gender Equal Employment. Owing to the counseling activities and the other various activities of the Action Center for the Unemployed

Women Workers that have contributed a lot for the sake of women's reputation, KWWAU received the President Award together with the Korean Women United.

Forum on countermeasures for the middle aged unemployed women workers

The Action Center for the Unemployed Women Workers of KWWAU took the countermeasure for the middle age unemployed women as a serious and urgent task, and conducted research on the nature of recruits and job seekers.

From January to September of 1999, the research was conducted. 1,441 women job seekers, who contacted the counseling center in Seoul, Puchon, Ansan, Inchon, North Cholla, Kwangju, Masan & Changwon, and 500 places where there were workers looking for jobs. The result of the research was shared through a forum.

In the forum, we invited some of the middle age unemployed women in order to give them a chance to speak up for themselves. In the forum we urged the government to provide more effective plans for these women and to conduct an evaluation on the unemployment programs of the government.

International symposium on the cultural and economic effects of internationalization

There was a symposium with the theme of "Cultural and Economic effects of the internationalization" in Bangkok from the 12th to the 15th of November. Activists and scholars from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Korea took part in the symposium.

They had serious discussion and sharing on their own situation. Jin Young Park, a Senior Researcher represented Korea.

KWWAU Rally for 2000

-Establishment of the "Headquarters of the Movement to Restore the Rights of Irregular Women Workers(HMRRWW)

KWWAU held the KWWAU rally on March 5 this year together with the Korean Women Workers' Trade Union.

The rally was held celebrating the March 8th International Women's Day under the theme of expanding organized women workers and restoring the rights of the irregular women workers.

In the rally, "Headquarters of the Movement to Restore the Rights of Irregular Women Workers" was established in order to confront more serious problems of the irregular women workers and to implement more activities.

There were various performances including songs made by women workers, a play, and semi-opera performed by "Oruem", a Women's Cultural group. The rally ended with a dynamic "Daedong Madang", which is a traditional performance inviting all the participants to the stage.

There will be regional rallies in 7 areas proclaiming the establishment of KMRRWW.

Producing a film with the theme of "The History of Korean Women Worker Militants in the 20 Century"

So far there has not been a film which tells a full history of women worker activists. KWWAU produced the 15 minute film which shows the history of women workers in this country as a preparation for the rally.

The film includes the story of the late Joo Ryong Kang in the Japanese colonial period, the struggle for the democratization of the trade union in the 70s and 80s, and the various methods and issues of the 90s.

Opening of a counseling site for women workers on the internet

A counseling site wholly for the women workers has been opened.

The domain name is equaline which was opened on February 16. The site has a counseling center, news, resource center, and free talk. The counselors and labor officers in every WWA will counsel with the visitors. It is linked with other useful sites for the women workers.

The address of the site is http://www.equaline.or.kr

 

  Inchon WWA


Participate in the campaign to amend the election law by Inchon Citizen's United for fair elections

Inchon WWA members took part in the campaign on February 19 and March 1. They signed an appeal for a clear and fair election

Expanding the list of unemployed women family heads who are under livelihood protection

Inchon WWA conducted research on those women family heads who were not included in the list for livelihood protection in collaboration with the district office.

In order to include the excluded unemployed women family heads, they have been working with the Inchon Headquarters for unemployment and 8 more small groups.

 

 Ansan WWA


The fourth vocational training for unemployed women family heads sponsored by the Labor Ministry

Ansan WWA is conducting the 4th vocational training for unemployed women family heads during February 28 to April 27. The training has two courses for and tele-marketing and general helpers.

The general helpers course is to help the trainees to learn about nursing for women after delivering babies, house work, baby sitting, and assisting patients in order to have broad chances to get a job.

 

 Masan & Changwon WWA


Restoring the rights of the irregular women workers

Nowadays a nu mber of women workers are transferring to irregular status and they are suffering from the employment condition. Masan & Changwon WWA has worked on the expansion of the Labor Standard Law over all workplaces in order to protect irregular workers, too. They are planning to strengthen the protection movement for irregular women workers

Research on indirect discrimination in the process of recruiting

The research on the working condition and indirect discrimination in the process of recruiting in March and April. In the process of recruiting, there are limits of age which decrease chances for the women workers. Masan & Changwon WWA is planning to work for a legal protest.

 

 Puchon WWA


Anniversary ceremony for Women Labor Welfare Center

The Puchon Women Labor Welfare Center was established last April. The center was set up in order to improve welfare of women workers who are working in small and poor workplaces and were not included in the women welfare administration.

The center has conducted various works; social education programs, vocational training, job arrangement, and various research and forums. Monthly meeting of unemployed women family heads Monthly meeting for unemployed women family heads has been conducted in order to share information and have necessary education together.

They are planning to study the culture of youth in March and to work on role play. There are plans to provide a picnic inviting their children on April 5, the Day of Planting. Through the monthly meeting, unemployed women family heads can be more stabilized and have more systematic supports.

 

 Pusan WWA


Hot line for women family heads and publishing a newsletter

Pusan WWA has opened a hot line for women family heads for counseling. The opening of the hot line was publicized through mass media and a good number of clients have called. They are planning to make more publicity and to provide fuller information.(Tel.:051-557-4215)

 

 North Cholla WWA


Roundtable discussion with the Mayor of Iksan(April 29)

The unemployed women family heads are having hard time to find more stable jobs that can also guarantee child care. North Cholla WWA will hold a roundtable meeting with the Mayor of Iksan.

North Cholla WWA will propose the operation of a study room for the children of unemployed women family heads in the area where the workplaces are concentrated and will propose various

methods to create jobs for unemployed women family heads.

Korea Working Women's Network 2000
Posted by KWWA
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[vol.21] Resolution

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:35

Statement


Korean women workers have become the first target for discriminatory restructuring caused by the economic crisis and the IMF bailout. In addition, most of them have experienced employment insecurity because they are employed as temporary and contractual workers.

They are dismissed in the pretext that they are old, their wages have been cut, and they have experienced much pressure by the company to leave their jobs, because they are married, pregnant, or have delivered babies.

In particular, it has become viewed as natural that much older irregular workers receive unfair treatment, and women workers are faced by the reality where their basic right to work and equality between men and women, which should be protected by law, has been largely ignored.

We, women workers cannot ignore this unfair reality any more. In this economic crisis we found the achievement women workers have struggled for is unattainable if we do not fight with organized efforts.

We will do our best to unite and strengthen women workers across the nation, and so we will fight strongly to obtain employment security, maternity protection and the right to work.

We demand the following :
1. Make comprehensive labor laws and social security laws for all working women, regardless of their employment status.
2. Extend protection of the Labor Standard Law to workers in small size companies with less than 4 workers.
3. Insure regular jobs to irregular workers. Also, regulate and monitor labor practices for a higher number of workers who have worked on an irregular basis.
4. Create jobs in the public sector and implement affirmative action to expand women's employment.
5. Shorten working hours and implement the three labor laws.
6. Increase the minimum wage 50% on average in all industries and apply it to all companies.
7. Provide affirmative measures to remove gender discrimination, verbal harassment and other violence against women.
8. Increase maternity leave to 90 days and protect costs related to maternity protection as a social security.
9. Secure all women's employment during their maternity leaves especially after childbirth, and implement income-supporting policies.
10. Expand and strengthen social welfare centers, and increase social welfare related expenditure.
11. Strengthen administration and monitoring for working women.

We will strongly struggle for these demands to be realized. Additionally, we will carry out strong and active campaigns to obtain legal rights for irregular women workers. We will resolve to strengthen unite and organize unorganized women workers.

Dated March 5, 2000

Participants in the Korean Women Workers' Rally

Korea Working Women's Network 2000
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[vol.21] Declaration for establishing the Action Center for Obtaining Irregular Women Workers' RightsDeclration for

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:33

Declaration for establishing the Action Center
for Obtaining Irregular Women Workers' Rights



1. We declare the establishment of the Action Center for Obtaining Irregular Working Women's Rights (ACOIWWR), in celebration of International women's day in the new millennium.


For last ten years, an increasing number of women workers have entered the labor market, as temporary workers and wage workers and they work in the informal sector. Among the total number of women workers, 64% of women work at companies with less than five workers, and 70% of women are temporary and day workers.

There has been a steady decrease in the number of women workers' union members due to the worsening employment situation for women workers and the change in the employment structure.

In particular, the last three years because of the Korean economic crisis, women have experienced all sorts of illegal labor practices and worsening working conditions, under the pretext of strengthening Korean companies' competitiveness: they are reallocated from regular workers to temporary and/or day workers, and they are forcibly transferred to dispatched workers status.

Today, we declare women workers' rights in celebration of international women's day in the year 2000. We firmly declare that this is the issue for all women and that we pursue the way for uniting women workers and obtaining their rights.

In addition, we declare that the development of women's potential and the achievement of employment security is the way to encourage women, half of the world's population, to be a main force to develop Korean society in the 21th century.


2. ACOIWWR will take action to implement labor related laws in the workplace.


According to the law, all workers should be protected and treated equally regardless of their different employment status. Nevertheless, up to 70% of irregular women workers are not actually protected. Further, it is regarded as natural for these irregular workers to receive unequal treatment.

According to the Current Situation to What Extent the Labor Standard Law is applied in the Companies with Less Than 4 Workers, published by the Korean Women's Trade Union and the KWWAU in November 1999, only one-thirds of the companies that answered follow the Labor Standard Law.

We found the ACOIWWR to change this reality by our efforts. We will give information to all women workers and give advice and aid to the workers where they are needed, and we will struggle against illegal labor practices.

Additionally, the ACOIWWR will demand the Ministry of Labor and the authorities concerned to monitor labor related laws in the workplace. Labor laws are not followed in the workplace, because the authorities concerned have not functioned properly.


3. The ACOIWWR will fight for the situation in which all working women can freely join unions and they can be protected and covered by the Labor Standard Law and the four(4) social security insurances.


Since the 1980s, the sector where an increasing number of women have been employed, women workers have not been able to obtain their proper rights to work. Examples are women workers who are involved as study-book teachers, golf caddies, saleswomen of insurance companies, and women who are engaged in delivery and/or sales.

Actually they are workers who have been directly employed by companies, but since 1987 when the workers' mass struggles took place, flexibility in the labor market has increased and subtle and distorting tactics of employment have been employed to destroy the labor union movement: actually workers work with the seeming position of the self-employed.

Although they are workers who are subordinate in terms of employment relations and administration relations, their basic rights as workers have not been recognized, so deep tensions are always there.

In addition, in the case of home-based workers, because their employment relations are very unclear, they are excluded from the Labor Standard Law.

We will struggle for women workers' unity, for workers to be organized into unions and all working women to be enjoy the Labor Standard Law and four Korean social security insurances.


4. The ACOIWWR will carry out campaigns of changing laws and wage solidarity activities to improve working conditions for irregular workers.


We will carry out campaigns for preparing for regulations to prevent the number of irregular workers from being expanded. Irregular workers have same hours and have similar tasks, but they work on acontractual basis.

They are discriminated against because they work on a variety of employment bases such as dispatched workers, part-time workers, and day workers. We will fight to obtain legal protection for these nominal irregular workers.

In addition, We will also fight against illegal and unfair labor practice where workers are forcibly relocated as dispatched workers belonging to manpower companies.

The ACOIWWR will carry out our struggles in solidarity with other trade unions, women's organizations and other labor organizations to obtain proper rights for irregular workers and to change existing laws.

In addition, We will campaign in the World March against Poverty and Violence against women with other women around the world for the celebration of international women's day in the year of 2000.


dated March 5, 20000

Action Center for Obtaining Irregular Working Women's Rights
(Seoul, Pusan, Daegu, Kwangju, Inchon, Masan and Changwon, Iksan and Chonju, Ansan, and Pucheon)

We make the following resolutions: 1. We will know our legal rights and follow them in practice.
2. We will put our interests in others' working conditions and do our best to give information to them.
3. We will let others know about the ACOIWWR and help others to participate.
4. We will take part in the ACOIWWR's activities at least one a month.
5. We will take action with the ACOIWWR.
6. We will check our activities as a member of the ACOIWWR every month.

Korea Working Women's Network 2000
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[vol.20] Working Women Vol.20

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:32

Working Women Vol.20

September, 1999
A edition committee member of KWWA



    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    ◑ Feature

    Employment situation and future task for unorganized women workers 3

    ◑ Special Issue

    1. Let's stand firm with the pride of five million women workers! 7
    2. Grandly and delicately (interview) 9
    3. Centripetal force of women worker's unity opening a new century 11

    ◑ Life story written by Park, Min-na

    Survival in the 80s of Dan Moo Ji 13

    ◑ Voices from the workplace

    1. We are the workers of this land! 20
    2. Completing the struggle for "Abrogation of the Series System" 22
    3. After devoting our youth to the company, must we pay the price of unjust dismissal? 24

    ◑ Equal Rights Counseling

    Analysis on the counseling for the second quarter of 1999 26

    ◑ Report on the International Meeting

    The solution to the problem of the exploitation of women workers in Central and South American countries by Korean companies is to be found in worker solidarity 31

    ◑ Action center for women's unemployment

    Evaluation and policy proposals on the first anniversary of the ACWU 35

    ◑ News 42

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[vol.20] [Feature] Employment situation and future task for unorganized women workers

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:31


feature.


Employment Situation & Future Tasks For
Unorganized Women Workers




Jin Young Park
Research Officer of KWWAU



This is a summary of the report from the forum on the "Employment Situation and Future Tasks for Unorganized Women Workers" on July 15.

This research was planned in order to expose the reality of the irregular and unorganized women workers employed in poor workplaces which failed to be included in the previous statistics.

The main subjects of the research were those women workers employed in workplaces without unions and those who were not attached to a union though one existed in their workplace.

The research was conducted from May to June in seven areas - Seoul, Puchon, Ansan, North Cholla, Kwangju, Masan & Changwon, and Pusan - by KWWAs and promotional committees of the KWTU.

A total 1,692 questionnaires were collected. For the main analysis, 1,598 cases were used and the remaining 98 cases, in which the subjects were women in workplaces with a union, were partially used for comparison.

Low wages, long working hours, insecure employment, insufficient vacations, low enrollment rate in social insurance

According to the results of the research, the situation of unorganized women workers can be summarized in their low wages, long working hours, insecure employment, insufficient vacations, and low enrollment in social insurance. On average, they work 57 hours per week and receive W645,000 per month.

52.6% of the irregular women workers said that they opted for irregular work because they could not find regular jobs. However, regular workers in small workplaces were still suffering from unfair and unconditional dismissals.

Regarding the section on monthly leave, annual leave, and other vacations, a lot of unorganized women workers said no vacations existed or they did not take vacations even if they did exist.

44.7% of the respondents said monthly leave did exist, 38.0% said the same for annual leave, but less than 50% of respondents said they actually took vacations in the cases where vacations existed.

30.2% of respondents had menstrual leave, 20.6% of respondents had maternity leave, and only 8.9% had child-care leave.

In small workplaces, less than 10% of workers had menstrual leave, maternity leave, or child-care leave. Particularly in the case of the workers who did not have a written contract with the company, a very high portion of them said no vacations existed or were actually used.



The enrollment rate for social insurance

The enrollment rate for social insurance is very low. The rate of enrollment in medical insurance is 42.4%, in public pensions is 42.0%, and in unemployment insurance is 43.5%. Enrollment rates are less than half in all three areas.

Workers in smaller-sized workplaces and irregular workers have a lower rate of enrollment.

The most essential demands of the respondents were shorter working hours (22.7%) and actual use of vacations (21.9%). This shows the reality - they are working for a long time without vacations or are unable to take vacations even if vacations technically exist.

In the case of married women, they most desired obtaining assistance in maintaining both their jobs and their home responsibilities.

Hope to set up union - but commitment is a different story

81.2% of women workers agreed with the necessity of a union however, they displayed a very passive attitude towards joining the union. Only 49.1% affirmed that they would join a union if there was one and 36.0% of them said are suffering from unjust and unconditional dismissals. Therefore the present situation leaves the most helpless people out of legal protection.

Resolution to improve the situation of unorganized women workers

In order to improve the situation of these unorganized women workers:

First, it is necessary to achieve full application of the already existing laws.

At present, the application of the Labor Standard Law is supposed to have been expanded to workplaces with less than four workers, however, its main guarantees have not yet been applied in these areas.

According to the research, in smaller workplaces employees still suffer the bad working conditions of low wages, long working hours, and almost no welfare.

Furthermore, they that they had never thought of joining the union. This reflects the passive attitude of women workers towards the union and also illustrates the organizational problems encountered by existing unions.

Second, we should make more effort to strengthen the effectiveness of the existing laws. Unorganized women workers are working much longer than is manifested in the law and have no guarantee to the rights of vacations and social insurance.

In addition, employers are increasing their irregular bases of workers in order to avoid violating the labor laws which protect regular workers.

Workers themselves think that irregular workers have no rights to protection by law. However, the labor laws are supposed to be applicable for all workers.

In order to improve the situation, the administration should conduct stricter management and supervision and, at the same time, there should be more active and widespread education and policy promotion for employers in order to make them aware of labor laws and practical applications.

Third, we should work for increasing wages and shortening working hours. The women workers' situation of receiving low wages and long working hours was discovered in the 70s or 80s, but the same situation still exists today for unorganized women workers.

The following points should be accomplished: shorter working hours, the expansion of vacations, application of the minimum wage system across the board, an increase in the minimum wage, an end to irrational discrimination between different forms of employment, educational backgrounds, occupations, and the scale of workplace.

Fourth,there should be assistance for women attempting to maintain both work and home lives. To the question of what the most urgent necessity is, many married women workers said that they need help to maintain both lives in the workplace and at home.

Only 19.7% and 8.4% respectively affirmed that maternity leave and child-care leave were given and only 13.2% and 4.8% said that they could use both leaves.

The employers should change their distorted attitudes to women workers, the general administration of protective policies for women must be improved and applied more consistently, and the collective social responsibility for the expenses of maternity leave and child-care leave should be made clear.

Fifth, with the full facts in mind, we should develop a strategy for organizing women workers and active implementation should follow.

In addition, we should consider questions related to the need for a union and to join the union. The majority of women workers agree with the need for a union but not many of them are willing to join the union.

This of course shows the real level of women workers' consciousness at present. At the same time it shows that the existing unions have not really put enough effort into organizing these worker sectors.

Now, both national unions, their local units, the KWTU, and its local units should fulfill more active and practical strategies for unorganized women workers.




Korea Working Women's Network 1999
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[vol.20] [Special Issue] 1. Let's stand firm with the pride of five million women workers!

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:30
special issue 1.

Let's stand firm with
the pride of five million women workers




Sang Rim Choi
President of KWTU



On August 29, the Korean Women's Trade Union (KWTU) was launched. The KWTU is open to every working woman no matter what post or work area she inhabits. In many regional areas, women's trade unions were set up from January onwards. However, this is the first time a trade union has been established on a national level. We here explain the need for and aims of the newly-established KWTU, print the interview with the first president, Ms. Sang Rim Choi, and describe the scene at the opening ceremony of the KWTU.

On August 29, 1999, we witnessed an extremely important development in the history of the women workers' movement. All those who committed themselves to the unity of women workers and the improvement of women workers' rights based on the Korea Women Workers Associations gathered together to establish the Korean Women's Trade Union (KWTU).

The KWTU takes the demands of every working woman as the essential consideration in the improvement of women workers' rights and for the development of female strength.

The present situation confronting women workers at the gateway to the 21st century can be summed up in the following facts:

64% of women workers are employed in workplaces with less than 4 workers; 70% of women workers are employed on an irregular basis; women workers are the primary targets for dismissal; women workers are pressurized to resign upon marriage or pregnancy; the rate of organized women is only 5.6%.

There is no more room for maneuver for the women who are working under constantly deteriorating conditions.

The KWTU is a union which works for the organization of women workers and for the expansion of women workers' rights, with the essential task of campaigning for the realization of the demands of working women. The KWTU works for the improvement of conditions facing women workers and for the solution of all the difficulties hampering women workers-marital difficulties, problems arising from giving birth, child care, discrimination in society as a whole and in the workplace, and so on.





 



explanation> Inaugural ceremony of the KWTU

KWTU is open to every working woman in every occupational field and work position and aims to unify women workers across the nation.

It is difficult for women workers to hold down long-term jobs for a variety of reasons including the simultaneous maintenance of the responsibilities of marriage, pregnancy, child care, and nursing.

The economic areas they occupy have seen a general shift from the clerical field to manufacturing, to housewives, to home-makers, and then to insurance agents when their children have grown up. The KWTU will try to adapt its policies to the various forms of women workers' lives. It is hoped that the KWTU will be a good model for unorganized women workers.

KWTU strives for the healthy development of Korean society

The industrialization of Korea has progressed propped up by the sacrifices made by women such as accepting low wages, full responsibility for house work, prior dismissal, and so on. This way of development is hampering the healthy long-term development of Korean society, but it continues because of the low organizational rate of women workers.

We shall be protesting against the sacrifice of women for any reason and building an equal and satisfactory social development through organizing women workers and improving women's access to power. We believe that we can level up the role of women in the 21st century when society will require more creative, benevolent, and collaborative social relations for progress.

How to manage satisfactorily a women's trade union which encompasses various occupations?

The KWTU has chosen as its main tasks assisting the development of women, promoting projects which maximize the participation of women, and expanding the welfare of its members. Another task of the KWTU is to assist solidarity in and between units in various areas and to provide leadership and direction for the KWTU as a whole.

We believe that we can achieve this through the heartfelt will of our members, listening to comments and advice from those who have committed themselves to the development of the women workers' mass movement, and solidarity. Based on these, we will gradually find the answers for the times.


Korea Working Women's Network 1999
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[vol.20] [Special Issue] 2. Grandly and delicately (interview)

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:29
special issue 2.

Grandly and delicately
- Meeting with Ms. Sang Rim Choi, the president of the KWTU -




Young Mi Choi
Chief executive of Puchon WWA




I had to try hard to find the opportunity to meet the President Sang Rim Choi, who was extremely busy with the preparations for the opening ceremony of the KWTU. I finally met her on August 23. She had just come back from her visit to Pusan and Kwangju for the roundtable discussions. Wearing a white yam jacket with beige pants, she looked young and elegant.

You've probably been asked this question many times. Could you tell me the background of the KWTU?

Since 1995, when the business restructuring and flexibilization policy started, the status of women workers has become more insecure and the organized rate of women workers has dropped. Therefore we were faced with the urgent task of securing a mass base of women workers, and we took long considerations on the possible ways to organize women workers.

The IMF Relief Fund happened to escalate our efforts. The increasingly desperate situation confronting women workers, whereby 70% of women workers are irregular and only 5% of them are organized, led us to hasten our efforts to establish the women's trade union

Some people criticize the KWTU as being too inclusive.

Yes. We are open to all kinds of occupations, from manufacturing workers to nursing care helpers, house work helpers, and so on. At the moment, unions already exist in workplaces with more than 300 workers, and our main targets will be workplaces with less than 300 workers.

We may need to concentrate our efforts towards irregular workers in small workplaces for a better effect and appeal to people who already have a social conscience. We are now making the preparations for the publicization of our movement. Watch this space!

You are faced with many tasks, from improving the social status of women workers to maternity protection. Which will be the first to be tackled?

We shall start with campaigning for the realization of legal rights which exist only on paper. We will work for the full application of the Labor Standard Law and four main insurances. We plan to see their application in every occupation and workplace.











-->
explanation>Staff members in inaugural ceremony of KTWU.
The 4th of left is president Choi.

 There are concerns that the KWTU could instigate the breakup of the solidarity of workers as a whole.

It's possible to think that way. However, we should remind ourselves that the women's movement has been one of the forces shaping our society. We should also look at the facts of the situation clearly: the present organized rate of women workers is very low.

In order to create a powerful force, we should increase the organized rate based on the principle that "workers are one". We can establish a strong unity through respecting each other and promoting mutual collaboration.

At the moment, there are nine women's trade unions in Seoul, in the southern part of Kyonggi, in Seongnam, and so on. We shall collaborate with them in the light of mutual respect and mutual solidarity. It is the same with the two National Unions.

We already have experience of working in close collaboration with the departments for women in the two national Unions. The rise of the women workers' movement will prove a turning point for the unity of the labor sector no matter what the political stand.

It seems that the married women workers are also included in your targeted groups. Isn't it difficult to organize married women workers?

We should acknowledge the fact that the activity capacity of married women is lower due to social conditions. The problem is how to approach them. The KWTU will act as a Chinjeong which listens to their difficulties and the problems related to their children and families.

We will also invest effort in establishing countermeasures for problems like lack of child care as an important part of the work of the KWTU.

Finally, do you have anything more to tell people?

This is the most difficult question, I guess (laughs). We have been so exploited and faced with very hard living conditions. Therefore it is very difficult to have faith in others.

After overcoming all else, feelings of internal inferiority and defeatism can persist. In fact, we are talented and capable in many ways. However, we used to say, "I can't do it."

Now, I want us opening day was 380. She added that this number disappointed reporters as the number was so small for a national organization. She laughed loudly telling me that.

I have felt a sincere and profound interest in the KWTU, which is a large organization but yet which wishes to hear the concerns of the individual, an organization which listens to the difficulties and pains of women workers who are looking to regain their lost confidence.


 Introduction

President Sang Rime Choi

1957 Born in Taegu
1977-79 Committed herself to student movement
1980-83 Committed herself to the Labor movement in Guro and Inchon
1984 Worked in the Labor Resource Center at the Inchon Urban and Industrial Mission Church
1988 Established Korea Labor Movement Institute
1990 Chief Executive of the Education Dept. of the Inchon WWA
1992 Main author of "Awaken woman, Grand worker"
1994-98 Chairwoman of Inchon WWA


Korea Working Women's Network 1999
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[vol.20] [Special Issue] 3. Centripetal force of women worker's unity opening a new century

WORKING WOMAN 2008. 3. 21. 11:27
special issue 3.

Centripetal force of women workers' unity opening
a new century




Hae Jeong Kim
A member of the Ansan & Sihung unit of the KWTU



On August 29, it was a sunny and fine day. From early dawn, the members of the KWTU from all over the country walked quickly to the Yurim Center. Carrying their lunch boxes decorated with different-colored flags, to illustrate the unity of each group, the members of KWTU from all over the country gathered in the Yurim Center.

Unlike at other meetings, women carried their to gather together to help each other restore lost confidence. For the actual final question, I asked about the present number of members. She told me that the target number for the opening day was 380.

She added that this number disappointed reporters as the number children proudly, some on their backs and some walking together with their kids.

There was a national assembly of the KWTU on the opening day. We set down the rules by which we will operate, elected our leaders, and established regional KWTUs which will lead us from the end of this century to the new century. The KWTU was born.

A beautiful swan on a lake must busily move its legs under the water. It was possible to launch our KWTU on the back of the hot activity of the summer of our members and union leaders. Face-to-face we shared the warm friendship which concluded our assembly. The memorial ceremony for the late Kyoung Sook Kim followed.

In the ceremony, we all felt hot and had solemn hearts. The spirit exemplified by the late labor militant was refreshed in us and the ideals of rebuilding a benevolent world were strengthened.

"Well, let's begin the opening ceremony for the KWTU and the Women Workers' Han Madang which will be a new chapter in the history of women workers!"

The opening ceremony, which started with this announcement from the great voice of the M.C., was followed by the march of our flags.


Seoul, never giving up; Kwangju, a city of revolution; Inchon, the city of efficiency and effort; Pusan, the southernmost city with lots of passion; Ansan & Sihung, started last but want to arrive first, the running city; Iksan & Cheonju, the city of the best taste (and a unit of very talkative married women); Masan & Changwon, insisting that the best way to achieve is to cover every mile by foot - the more energy, the greater the reward. Where there exist women workers, all those flags will follow.

The flag of liberation, the flag of equality, the flag of women workers' unity, and the flag of the KWTU!

The flag of KWTU went at the front. There were congratulatory speeches by the representatives from the FKTU, KCTU, Korea Women's Associations United, and the Asia Women's Committee, coming from over the sea, who added their heartfelt congratulations to the consolidation of the KWTU which will be opening a new page in our history.

The speeches were followed by a program, which was provided by the participants, and the Han Madang. We enjoyed the picture drawn by the artist In Soon Kim, KWTU song made by the Women Songsters, the passionate dance by the "Youth of Bare Feet" formed by married women, and so on.

The slide show entitled "Wild flower, fire flower, your name is a woman worker!" encouraged women workers to feel the great power within them which could change the world. The launch of the KWTU!

Let's open the gate to a new century with our passion in perfect order! Let's pass on the world we want to make to our daughters! And let's make a unity of the 4.8 million unorganized women workers through the newly set-up KWTU!

The KWTU, which will organize the new way, assisted by both the hearts of mothers and a passion hot enough to heat a smelting furnace.

The KWTU, which will be shaped by our hands, will provide a venue for the women workers' sighs and tears like the shade under the tree which keeps quiet vigil of our home town.


Korea Working Women's Network 1999
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