[vol.1] Voice from the women workers_ Union members and families becoming one and making sure to win
WORKING WOMAN 2008. 1. 30. 15:29The company produces a yearly quantity of iron or l m11110n tons which makes an annua1 income of nearly 500 million won. The total annual income of Sammi group is 800 millon won. The work site of the company is badly heated with a lot of noise and dust and two or three kinds of big industrial disasters break out every year. In addition the workers there have to work three shifts a day. In spite of such poor working conditions, the main reason Sammi special Iron has grown to be such a big company is the result of the workers' greasy sweat. They have toiled despite such an unreasonable working environment
Strike starting with fury of unionists
Nevertheless while the labor union demanded a wage raise of 4.95% less than the 5% of total wage which is the criteria claimed by government, the company took a severe measure of wage freezing and workers slash of more than 1,000 under the excuse of financial difficulties.
Such conduct on the company side drove all of the union members into a rage and they went on a strike from Sept. in order to keep their right to live. Since the strike started, the company side has committed acts of brutality rather than showing its sincere effort to resolve the strike. They locked out the factory. cut off the communication system and blocked food supply and families visits through disployment or law enforcement authorities around the company.
Furious over the acts of cruelty, the unionists organized a reasonable defense force under the direction of leaders leading the strike and selected representative from sections in order to have discussions. Through such an organized response the workers showed their reserved power which resulted in blocking the invasion or law enforcement authorities two times.
The longer the strike went on, the more union members joined in. In spite of blockage of supply by police, union members on the strike formed a supply team of their own ingenuity and provided food voluntarily enough for 2.000 people to survive for 18 days.
To get the food the team had to climb a mountain 4 hours walk away from where they were and waded back and forth through the sea. They showed their creative and clever talents to independently break whatever difficult circumstances they encounted.
Families' struggle to save the strike site
With nothing to start with, unionists of Sammi Special Iron continued to fight capitalist and law enforcement authorities up to 18 days. Above all, what made the struggle possibe was the families' resolute struggles in supporting the unionists on strike.
Hearing their husbands went on a strike, wives came together with their babies carried on their backs and made up a supporting line of the struggle. Facing body search, examination and check-up by combat police, and even worse, falling down under the trampling of policemen's boots, the families resolutely carried out a sit-down demonstration around Changwon bridge, when traffic was paralyzed for about Z hours.
Walking 4 hours in the dark, they have brought first-aid and food to their husbands on strike. In addition when it was expected that law enforcement authorities would involve, they blocked the authorities out a few times in the cold rain with their babies carried on their backs underneath the bridge of Changwon. The families' support gave life to their husbands' struggle.
Demanding a solution to the authorities interruption and blockage of food supply. the families staged a demonstration in Whang Nak Joo's office, a congressman of the area. However, his conduct to try to pass the responsibility for the strike onto the unionists made the families so angry that they went up to Seoul and expanded their struggle all the stronger. However, they were forced out by brutal policemen, which was an unexpected response when considering President Kim's smiling face on T V.
All the more the Sammi Special Iron families made an impressive struggle to support their husbands on strike through fighting to provide food and publicity about the strike. A11 the more impressive, through the struggle of 1400 families were able to meet their husbands at the gate.
Families rising again out of despair
However, in the teeth of the families' bitter wrenching struggles, the government and capitalist trampled down the workers' strike site by use of law enforcement authorities who fo1lowed a helicopter bombing with pepper fog at dawn Sept. 25. Hereby the strike site of l8 day's struggle was conquered by pepper fog.
However, Sammi Special Iron workers and their families' struggle didn't come to an end there. After law enforcement authorities came in, 20 workers couldn't get back home and had to begin another struggle life in a cold jai1, Therefore families of the arrested and the workers on the 'wanted list ' had a meeting with a united purpose.
They also issued 'News of Families' and distributed it to union members. In addition they have formed an active struggle with dismissed workers against mass dismissal of union members and disciplinary punishment such as frontage protest struggle, daily struggle to attend work, collection of funds to support living expenses.
Besides, a lot of people gave a big hands with tears to the workers singing 'True Love' at the evening National Workers Rally on Nov. 7. This also won the grand prize in a song contest under sponsorship of Masan Catholic Women's Association.
Moreover, at the I4th presidential election, they worked as an advisory organization for a fair election in Masan Changwon in order to execute a fair election and developed voluntary activities. That they spent valuable time in cementing further ties with union members with opening 'A Day's Hops' sponsored by the arrested, wanted and dismissed workers' families. ('A Day's Hops' means taking over a place which serves beer, other drinks and snacks so that the profits for the day go to the sponsoring group.)
Now under the ruthless oppression of the company , l37 union workers were put under disciplinary punishment along with 18 arrested workers, 12 wanted, 30 dismissed. , Besides the 69 workers were sued for damages and their retirement grants and their sponsors were put under a temporary possession.
The announcement that the company would reduce l,000 workers this year produced a terrifying atmosphere among workers and such suppression by the company side is expected to become acute. However, the Committee for countermeasures for the struggle of Sammi Special Iron's workers has survived under the suppression and came into a rearrangement of their organization, expecting a joint struggle of their members who would be set free sooner or later.
They also resolved to establish their organization on a firmer footing and to move forward in a resolute way. Combined with the devotional and positive support of their families, news of Sammi Special Iron workers' victory will be conveyed to us for sure.