[vol.4] Advocacy_ Reality of Gender Discrimination in the Labor Union

Reality of Gender Discrimination in the Labor Union

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1. Why this issue of gender discrimination in the labor union is raised as a problem?
   The government has focused on the practice of gender equality in employment among the women labor policy.

   Since the Labor Department has carried out self-inspection on it for two years, and collective bargaining agreement on it has been revised, however there are still a lot of cases of unequal treatment to male and female workers.

   The union itself is the most powerful group to solve this issue, but there are lots of practice of gender inequality even inside the union. We want to point about right this.

   Because, if the gender discrimination in the union doesn't be disappeared, then we can't demand to the government or company regarding this issue. Another facts, the westem labor union movement which women built up their independent union excluding men, also is warning to our labor union movement. We point this, too.

   In the women academy, it has been already discussed the necessity of women labor union. Now, gender discrimination can not be covered any more.

   'Working Women' reveals the reality of gender discrimination in the labor union case by case. This is to develop practicing gender equality and labor union movement in Korea.

   Thanks to women union leadership who helped us in this writing.

2. Gender Politics in the Labor Union
   1. The story from the women leadership in the labor union in the large company

      I'm only one woman 'n 'he union leadership. In the leadership training meeting, I proposed to publish 'Women Newsletter'. There was no immediate reaction from others.

      So l tried to produce the Women Newsletter, then the men opposed to do it. And when l introduced a few times about the Equa1 Employment Law between male and female in the union newsletter, the men reacted 'it seems union is only for women'. When I got a wage increase for women (very big gap between male's and female's wage) then the men reacted like that, too.

      The other day, two women went to overseas training. It was the first time for women to go there since the establishment of union. In the past, there was no women participants, because the men said , after coming back from overseas training, women easily leave the company. Even as for the new-enterers training program, we can't offer the education on women."

      Women are taking hardness in struggling against the company, however she has been faced a lonely struggle on such a discrimination against women inside the union. She is trying to organize regular women workers meeting, and to share with another women 1eadership from different companies.

   2. Women's consciousness-raising is it threatening to the labor union?

      "Why this consciousness-raising program, which is to increase women's awareness and solve the problems in the shop floor, has been opposed by men leadership in the union?

      Although the men leadership receive an invitation for women from the Federation of Labor Union, they don't pass it to the women leadership. The Federation sends an invitation for women participants to about 800 unions, then only two women comes."

      "It's very hard to organize an education program for women leadership which just once a year. It was opposed by men because of financial problem. Women have to struggle for organizing that once a year against men in the union. This kind of split in the union is beneficial only to company."

   3. Instability of Employment has not been a main issue in the union.

      Though the temporary workers have been increased day by day, the instability of employment issue can be less important than the issues of wage or welfare.

      Besides, the temporary workers are excluded on in the struggle. If men is employed on working hours base, and cannot join in the union because of that, then, how the men will react on it?

      If tens of thousand workers in the rub industry became an unemployed in a day, and if they are all men, then? It's very heart-breaking situation. It must been the issue for the labor union movement. Since the women have been experienced such crisis of emp1oyment in first hand, this case has been reduced or excluded in a labor movement.

   4. Don't hurry, you have to wait for one thousand years to get a gender equality?

      In a bank labor union, 1993, when women union members demanded same wage level with men who have high school background, men took a group action like going out from the union. It should be confirmed for women to get a full working years.

      During working hours, men had a sit-in strike in the labor union office to oppose the confirmation of women's full working years. At the end, women's demand was ignored.

      In a manufacturing company, l993, the retirement age for men was 55 years old, and was 52 years old for women before the change of collective bargaining agreement. In the past, a woman called a suit against the unjust retirement age, and she won the suit.

      And another two women were reinstated after forced-retirement. However, during the retirement the wage was not paid to two women, so now it's on a suit again. One of women union leadership who consulted for these two women had been threatened by men leadership.

      In case of male dominated union. and its leadership is all men, if a woman is ful1- time based member, then the primary work for her is like a secretary or an errand girl, In spite of her will to devote for the union work, she was regarded as a girl for copy, coffee and cleaning. In case of female dominated union, there is no such a case.

      In one electronic company in Seou1, the union got a collective bargaining agreement after 20 times of negotiation on having a day care center inside the company. It was a result by campaign and various organized activities.

      However, it was faced to men's opposition. After the company agreed to have a day care center but didn't confirmed the time of establishment. It was because of men's reaction against the women's activities.

      Finally, women won. It was a motivation for men and women to aware that child caring is socia1 responsibility and motivation for men and women solidarity.

3. Male Oriented Labor Union and its Limitation

   If women get more then men get less, it is true? If a men leadership who do democratic support for the women's activities, then they are isolated by other men. Then, the union struggle is not whether it's yellow or genuine, but whether it's for men or for women?

   The idea of men's dominated union activities has been intensified by division of male and female work, and by family wage ideology. Beyond this economic ways of thinking, the society also goes for men against women.

   If the labor union which is public for the social equality takes actions on gender discrimination, then union is getting far away from women. Women's leadership will be weak. At last, this leads union to have a weak organizing of labor power. Furthermore, it makes delay practice of equality in this land.