Top 10
News of Women Workers in 2001
Bae, Jin-kyung● Public
Relations Officer, KWWAU
|
There have been many incidents this year as in the previous years. The movements for the reform of the labor laws related women workers, the increase of irregular women workers, the struggle to achieve increases in the minimum wage, etc, were some of the many incidents. What then can be the top 10 news of the women workers? 54 people working on women worker issues from women's groups, two major labor unions and related branch offices, labor groups, citizen's groups, news agencies, labor officers, KWWAU, and the KWTU were asked to pick the ten major news of the year from 24 issues pre-selected by the KWWAU. |
Reform Movements of the Labor Laws related women - Maternity
Leave 90 Days, Paid Childcare Leave, Reform of the Gender Equality Law,
etc
Diverse methods at a rally
calling for reform of women labor laws.
Participants appeared as
pregnant women (2001. 4. 23)
Everyone from the selection committee picked this struggle as one of the top
10 news of the year. It was a major struggle leading to the start of the
socialization of maternal protection costs. With the formation of the common
body for the reform of worker laws women, legal petitions were submitted and
over 100 statements
were released together with numerous rallies and active campaigns before
legislative passage by the National Assembly on July 18.
As a result, maternity leave was extended to 90 days, paid childcare leave
and reformed Gender Equality Law went into effect on November 1, 2001.
The significance of the reformed law lies in the socialization of maternity
protection costs, the expansion of maternity protection and applicants for
childcare leave, the strengthening of the Gender Equality Law and the
regulations on sexual harassment, etc. Not all our demands were met but these
were the first steps for future changes. The rights achieved must be
implemented in the workplace and other benefits such as paid abortion leave,
paid maternity leave of the spouse, and family sick leave remain issues to be
furthered expanded.
3 out of 4 Women In Irregular Work
There is a sharp increase in irregular work for women. What was 62.0% in 1997
rose to 65.9% in 1998, 69.5% in 1999, 73.3% in 2000, and 70.9% in 2001.
The decrease in 2001 was due to the overall decrease of women workers
in 2000. However ompared to 2000, there was an overall decrease of
142,000 women workers (168,000 regular workers lost their jobs but there was
an increase of 26,000 irregular workers).
Irregular women workers will continue to rise. Women workers continue to work
as irregular workers as they face severe unemployment and other disadvantages
caused by the sex discriminatory employment practices in the Korean labor
market. Also women who had temporarily left the labor force due to birth of
children or childcare face difficulties in getting re-employed as regular
workers.
Lotte Hotel Fined 30 Million Won - Reason For Not Taking Any
Punitive Action Against Sexual Harassment
The sexual harassment issues arising from the strikes at Hotel Lotte carried
the phrase "Hotel Lotte is even first-class in sexual harrassment." Out of
the 327 cases submitted by the union for investigation, it was found that 32
male staff personnel had harassed 68 women workers. The Hotel management took
punitive action against 22 of the accused perpetrators but delayed any action
against the remaining 10 people on the grounds that it might influence
the civil suits in process against them.
The victims filed a collective petition and on February 4, 2001, the Seoul
Regional Labor Office applied the Gender Equality Law on Hotel Lotte and
fined each of the 10 perpetrators 3 million won per person. This is the first
time such a fine was levied for not taking punitive action against the
perpetrators in a sexual harassment case. Fines have usually been levied when
sexual harassment prevention videos have not been shown.
Movement for the Increase of the Minimum Wage - Increase of
12.6% (hourly pay 2,100 won, monthly 474,600 won)
Launching ceremony of the
Committee to monitor
minimum wage violations (2001.
10. 23)
Due to the active campaigns calling for the increase in the minimum
wage, an increase of 12,6% was promised by the government instead of the
expected 2-3%. Signature-collecting drives, discussion campaigns, and other
measures were undertaken. These measures
were useful in publicizing the significance of the increase in the minimum
wage and the reality faced by women workers receiving minimum wages y
increasing public awareness on the issue. Also, the campaign did not stop
with the increase in the minimum wage but continued with the launching of a
common monitoring team to report to the Ministry of Labor the workplace
violations in the practice of the minimum wage and called for measures to
overcome such unfair practices..
First Ever Collective Agreement by Golf
Caddies(88CC)
On July 12, the 88CC Golf Caddies Branch of the KWTU signed a collective
agreement with 88 Tourism Development Inc. This is the first ever collective
agreement signed by golf caddies and has very special significance for
specially-hired workers. Main contents of the agreement were
recognition of the 88CC branch of the KWTU as the only
representative body for collective agreement, agreeing to discuss matters
related to golf caddies with the union guaranteeing
union activities prevention of sexual harrassment and measures against
perpetrators (including visitors) permission to wear glasses and better
treatment for golf bag carriers permission for union members to have
access to golf courses. The 88CC branch of the KWTU was formed on October 9,
1999 but was not recognised as workers as they were specially-hired and had
to undertake a long struggle. However, the 88CC branch, through continuous
organizational activities, managed to increased its membership to over
two-thirds of the golf caddies working at the 88 country club. After a long
struggle, they were able to overcome their status as specially-hired workers
and eventually signed a collective agreement.
Struggle to Achieve Labor Rights of Specially-hired
Workers
The active struggles by specially-hired workers against governmental refusal
to recognize them as workers was another big incident. Script writers,
reporters, and DJs formed a broadcasting station branch of the KWTU on August
26 to achieve their rights. A discussion on the three labor rights was held
in October and the consensus was reached that they have been completely
excluded from the application of the labor related laws and social insurance.
During the process, two script writers working at Myunhwa Broadcasting
Corporation (MBC), Daegu, were fired from their jobs with the start of the
new season of TV programs. On October 29, a debate on occupational diseases
by golf caddies was held showing the seriousness of the working conditions
and health problems of golf caddies. The following rally calling for the
achievement of labor rights and the application of the labor laws once agin
clearly showed the reality of golf course working conditions.
56 union members of Daeyong Rumina Country Club who have been fired and on
strike for over ten days, finally, achieved collective agreement with the
company and returned to work on December 18.
Publication of the [History of the Korean Women Workers'
Movement]
Publication anniversary, KANG, In-soon, YI, Ock-jie (2001. 10.
12)
The [History of the Korean Women Workers' Movement] has been finally
published in two volumes after four years' of research. The volumes were
planned by the KWWAU and written by LEE, Okjie and GANG, Insoon and contained
the history of the women workers' movement from the Japanese colonial days to
the 1990s.
The women workers' movement which had been veiled behind the truggles of male
workers in heavy industries has been published by undertaking interviews of
women in the field and through research into historical archives. Women
workers had played an important role in the history of the Korean labor
movement and the women workers' movement had been very active but had not
been properly evaluated.
And so the publication of the [History of the Korean Women Workers' Movement]
is very important in the re-evaluation of the women workers' movement.
KCTU Adopts 30% Women Quota
KCTU has passed a resolution to adopt a 30% women quota in all
decision-making processes. It was passed with the approval of 80.6% (340 out
of 422) of the participants on July 13. In future, the KCTU will reinstate
the quota in the election of officers (with the exception of the chairperson
and secretary-general). The time of reinstatement of the policy will be soon
determined.
Participation by women in decision-making bodies (as of July 2000) such as
the KCTU general assembly is 6.24%, central committee 6.97%, central standing
committee 4.34%, steering committee 0%, and with the exception of the rate of
women participation in the health and medical workers union, only 23.3% of
women worker participation
could be seen. Women unionists had long demanded a women quota system and the
passage of reformed regulations have allowed women to have more say and more
opportunities for organizational expansion. Also, the National Teachers'
Union on April 29 has finalized a 50% women quota in all decision-making
bodies.
Board of Gender Equality Decides `Marriage Retirement' of
Full-time Workers as Gender Discrimination
The Board of Gender Equality has decides that the practice of retirement upon
marriage and the re-employing of former full-time workers on a contract basis
as gender discrimination.
The Board on October 8 opened its Committee on the Reform of Gender
Discrimination and has announced that former full-time workers of
governmental agencies who were forced to leave their jobs upon marriage but
re-instated as contract workers doing the same type of work with lesser pay,
were victims of discrimination and decided as such all cases which were
petitioned
The Committee has decided that the employers pay 7 million won as
compensation and prevention measures to be implemented.
Seoul High Court Upholds Union Membership of the
Unemployed
The Seoul High Court has rejected the appeal by the Seoul City overnment to
outlaw the union membership of unemployed people. The Seoul branch of the
KWWAU has petitioned for the annulation of the rejection against the
formation of the union and the Seoul High Court on September 19 announced
that "it is not fair that the establishment of a union be rejected due to the
inclusion of unemployed workers”and supported the KWWAU in the matter.
In 1999, the KWWAU which includes unemployed women in its membership has been
rejected by the Seoul City Government and has filed a petition against the
local government decision. The Seoul Administrative Court has in January
decided that "anyone living on some kind of a stipend can be recognized as
workers”and “anyone fighting to achieve collective rights and other labor
rights including unemployed people or people who are temporarily without jobs
as workers”, upholding union membership of unemployed people.
There have been many difficulties in the women workers' movement but
there have also been many achievements. Women workers will continue to fight
to achieve their rights to create a more equal world.