[vol.13] Voice from the workplaces_ HANKUK SANYUN UNION FIGHTS AGAINST JAPANESE CAPITALIST

HANKUK SANYUN UNION FIGHTS
AGAINST JAPANESE CAPITALIST

---

Hankuk Sanyun Inc., was established in 1973 with 100% Japanese capital. In this company, located in Changwon City, the unions, should be organized. Secondly, the women workers have been struggling for the last eight months.

Small and medium Japanese companies which had been on the verge of bankruptcy in labor intensive industry in Japan, moved into Korea in 1970 in order to take advantage of financial benefits, tax holidays, easy control of labor and low wage women workers.

However, since the widespread labor struggle of 1987 the previous labor control strategies did not work. When the investment conditions changed eg. wage hike, repeal of the 'Provisional Exceptional Laws Concerning Labor Unions and the Settlement of Labor Disputes in Foreign Invested Firms' and the expiration of the special privileged period for the most of the Japanese companies, these companies started to pursue different managerial strategies.

Small and medium foreign companies that invested in Korea's labor intensive industries moved out from Korea to Southeast Asian Countries in order to reduce production costs.

In this process of this withdrawal, many of Korean women workers lost their jobs abruptly. The companies also maneuvered to destroy labor unions using the "Kusadae" (goon squad). Hankuk Sanyun Union has become a scapegoat under the oppression by a foreign invested firm.

(1) Bargaining on the one hand but naked oppression of the union on the other hand:

Hankuk Sanyun Union started to work on the collective bargaining in the middle of April 1997, just like other unions in Korea. However, the company delayed negotiations without due reasons. Thus, the union, delegating its bargaining rights to the Federation of Metal Workers' Unions, attempted to make progress with negotiations.

The company management asserted that they can not negotiate with anyone except the workers actually employed in Hankuk Sanyun Inc., and they refused to negotiate at all for two months.

Since late June, the company refused to bargain misusing the newly amended labor laws and argued that they have the right to unilaterally cancel collective contract. The Ministry of Labor and the respective government offices assumed an indifferent attitude toward this case and did not make any efforts.

After a long and difficult struggle, the workers succeeded to get the company to the bargaining table, but the company started to clamp down on the union openly in October.

They said in a letter to the union, "Since we do not have any collective contract at this moment, full time union officials must return to their original posts on the factory floor.

The union must return the union office to the company. Statements and announcements from the union written on the walls and hanging banners must be pulled down. Persons from outside may not get into the company.

We will cut the electric power and the water supplies when the work is over. We will increase company security forces through use of a subcontractor in order to implement these measures". It showed naked oppression and threats toward the union.

(2) Violence by the 'Kusadae' to women employees and to a pregnant woman:

 Male-managers assaulted female-chief of a union who protested the suspension of water and power supply (they thorned down her on the paved street after turning her four times)

materials and machines away from the factory during the night, and finally, the company disclosed its plan of retrenchment - a plan that the managers had been keeping to themselves until then. They said that the company does not have to pay the retrenchment pay, that is, an equal amount of 15 months' wage in case of retrenchment, because the collective contract was cancelled.

The company asked for 150 workers who would like to voluntary resign. For these people they announced that they will pay only the normal severance pay without retrenchment pay. They threatened the workers with a notice that if there were not 150 volunteers by November 15th, they will retrench them by force.

However, only an hour after issuing such a warning, the company mobilized male workers to assault women production workers. They invaded the labor union office, broke the wall, windows, and tore down hanging banners, statements and announcements of the union which were written on the walls.

(3) Illegal Lockout:

The union has conducted negotiations with the company for the last eight months, suggesting to resolve every problem peacefully. They patiently put up with the company violence and tried to work normally. Taking that into account it is clear that the actions of the company show a clear lack of humanity.

The company, without any apology for their behavior, announced a lockout. After that came cutting off the power and water. During this process, the company enticed male managers to assault union leaders, and three of the leaders had to be helped by the Rescue 119 - (emergency rescue team operated by the police in Korea) - and were taken to the emergency room in an hospital.

Each had been carried out - their four limbs grasped by different men - and was thrown down on the paved street three times in the heavy rain.

No one took notice of our situation in Korea, when we, Korean women workers were oppressed by a foreign capitalist.
Only a few news media reported on our situation. We shouted everywhere, but only just to hear the echo of our own voices coming back to us. The only ones who helped and defended us were the workers.

The solidarity actions of many workers in Changwon area, who risked being arrested, touched our heart.

(4) Public Indifference and Solidarity among Workers:

The Changwon area workers spent several nights with us Hankuk Sanyun workers, without any electric power; they brought us a generator under the heavy rain; they fought against our managers in a scuffle in order to defend us; they helped us to guard ourselves during the cold nights with us, carrying candle lights or flesh lights.

With all this kind of love and trust, we started to be certain that our struggle would end in a victory for us. We have learned a lot of things during our eight months struggle. We have learned how great our unity, our capacity for a united action, although women are often considered feeble and weak. Management must have been surprised that we have so much power.

Some of the union members had to resign for their marriage. They could have received two million Won from the company if they had withdrawn from the union.

But they wanted to remain union members in order to support the union, telling us in tears that they were so sorry about not being able to continue the struggle along with us. A union member who was expecting a baby, apologized for her not participating in our struggle; the one who was very near to give a birth dashed into the union office saying that she heard the news while she was on a maternity leave; when three union leaders started to go on a hunger strike, the rank and file members forbade the leaders to do it, although they had never failed to follow the union's policy till then. All of the union members, including a pregnant women, started to refuse lunch on order to persuade the leaders to break their hunger strike.

The day when the leaders had to stop their hunger strike before their 10th day, we all cried. For the last 4-5 months we have experienced economic difficulty because we have not received any wage due to the "no work, no wage principle."

Still the workers in Changwon area were considerate enough that they have made contributions to the strike fund with unsparing hands; These are all the expressions and evidences of love.

(5) The Struggle will not end yet:

While we were carrying on our struggle, we learned that if we lean on one another for support, and if we love and trust each other to be united, we would never give in. This is the most important thing we have learned and it is the precious victory we have won.

Although we do not know when the struggle will be over, the women workers at Hannuk Sanyun will remember this struggle. They will remember that we have learned love and trust during the long fight. The women workers will keep something in their mind that caring for one another and love for one anther are the ultimate weapons for the workers.

We are convinced that we have already won, although we do not know the outcome yet. I express gratitude toward those workers in this area and in the whole country who supported us and gave us love. And we are preparing a bigger unity in the future.