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2002-10-28 13:35:38, 조회 : 48 |
Workshop for Trainors of Women Workers' Organizers
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
October 23-28, 1994
Session I
My name is Son, Young-Ju (30 years), and I am currently active in the Seoul Women Workers Association (SWWA). After entering college in 1984, I was active in a publications club that produced a women students' journal in my first year, and was able to learn and study about women's issues. I also participated in organizational activities for women students and later took up the position of Educational Division Director in the Women Students Association.
After graduating, I worked for one year as reporter and editor at a publishing company, hoping to make a small contribution to spreading public knowledge about women's isssues. Afterwards, I began work at an electronics assembly factory having about 70 women (mostly married) workers. Here, I felt the urgent need for an organizational movement to resolve the problems of women factory workers, particularly for married women workers. Hence, I entered the Seoul Women Workers Association in 1991, and am now responsible for education and publicity for organizers.
Currently, there is increasing demand for greater specialization and professionalization of activities as a means of improving the women workers movement. Efforts to develop practically oriented programs that are closely related to the everyday lives of women are also needed.
Session II
The education and training programs currently being in progress at SWWA target three main groups: labor union leaders, un-unionized workers, and labor activists. A preparatory committee is established before the training in order to formulate the contents of the program and to put it into practice. Evaluations by the participants and the preparatory committee are then collected and examined by SWWA.
1. Education for labor union leaders
* Objectives: 1) To raise the social consciousness of union
leaders and women workers
2) To improve activities of unions leaders and
the labor union's women's division
* Contents: Programs include education on analyzing social systems, attitudes of labor union leaders, Korean society and women's issues, including protective measures for women in collective bargaining agreements, and women's issues in the workplace (ie-employment issues, daycare, married women's issues, sexual harassment).
* Method: 1) Overnight programming
2) Focusing on women's and labor issues
specifically requested by the labor union
* Example: Fourth Annual National Seminar for Women Labor
Union Leaders, held in 1991
1) Time: Oct. 11-13, 1991 (2 nights, 3 days)
2) Participants: 50 participants from 15 companies
(Invitations were sent to the unions to organize
participants beforehand.)
3) Contents:
- Lecture 1: Political trends and the direction of the
democratic labor union movement
- Lecture 2: Current state of women workers and the
nature of women's issues
- Rest time: "Night of Unity"
- Small group discussion: Discussion on the topic
"Understanding the problems in securing the right to
permanent and equal work for women workers and
analyzing the reasons for this reality"
- Lecture 3: Training on producing more persuasive and
effective publicity (based on focused situations such
as fighting disguised bankruptcies and securing legal
measures for maternity protection)
- Presentation of activities: Reports on 3 unions in
which women were the main force in resolving
employment-related issues in the workplace
- Discussions with senior activists: Presentation of
the union experiences of 3 senior activists and their
efforts to resolve the problems of women workers,
followed by collective discussions
- Small group discussion: Determination of concrete
activities by company and region for the next year
* Accomplishments:
1) These programs helped union leaders form health working
attitudes and strengthen union activities.
2) Union leaders were able to form a better understanding
of women's issues.
3) Various workplace struggles concerning discriminatory
wages, job security, maternity protection, and
workplace daycare centers were successfully organized.
* Future tasks: There is a need to develop more diverse educational programming and practically oriented organizational activities focusing on resolving the worsening problem of unstable employment for women workers.
2. Education for un-unionized workers
* Objectives:
1) To raise general social consciousness and awareness of
women's issues among women workers
2) To encourage organization of workers in un-unionized
worksites
* Method:
1) Women's enrichment lectures, held twice a month
2) Monthly Women's Day activities include education on
social issues related to politics, economics, and
society, as well as education on women's labor
policies, sexual violence, comfort women, and regional
women's movements.
3) Small group gatherings are held among un-unionized
workers and training given in regards to labor laws,
women's issues, and methods of labor union formation.
* Methods of organizing: In order to incorporate the participation of workers, letters requesting cooperation are sent to labor unions and organizations, and posters and leaflets are distributed in public places.
* Example: The Sixth and Seventh Women's Enrichment Lecture
Series, held in 1993
1) Sixth Women's Enrichment Lecture Series
- Time: Aug.18 & 25, Sept.1, 1993, at the Kuro
Industrial Complex Welfare Center
- Theme: Women's issues and social structures
- Lectures: 1.Socialization processes for men and women
2.Distortions in gender consciousness:
Causes and social structures
3.Securing permanent, equal employment for
working women
- Participants: Avg. 65 (all women) each session
2) Seventh Women's Enrichment Lecture Series
- Time: Nov. 25-26, 1993 in the lecture hall of the
Women's Welfare Center
- Theme: Towards a more beautiful love and sexuality
- Lectures: 1.Physiology of love and sexuality
2.Psychology of love and sexuality
- Participants: Avg. 50 (one-third men) each session
* Accomplishments and future tasks:
1) Women workers' consciousness regarding women's issues was raised through out grassroots education.
2) However, as a result of general changes in workers' consciousness and the decline in the labor movement, participation in these lectures dropped. There is an urgent need now to develop new educational programming and more varied and effective media-based visual materials.
3) Beginning with this understanding, this year we developed an additional women's lecture series intended to respond to the changing tastes of working women. The new series is entitled, "College for the New Generation," and includes computer instruction, English conversation, and Japanese conversation.
4) In order to improve upon our media techniques, which relied on slide shows in the past (Women's History, When the Hen Crows, The History of Women Workers' Struggles, Soon-young's Love Story), we are now discussing with professional organizations to begin developing videotapes as educational materials.
3. Programming for activists
* Objectives: The programs aim to help activists foster their skills in their various sites of activity (factories, daycare centers, and labor organizations), as well as to strengthen organizational activities.
* Methods:
1) Training program for activists, held 4 times a year
2) Women's School, entitled "Education on Women's Issues,"
held once a year
* Example: Sixth Women's School, held in 1993
1) Time: 1993, Feb. 13 (Sat) - 14 (Sun) (1 night, 2 days)
2) Participants: Total 27, including 5 labor union leaders
and 6 women staff of labor organizations (Official
invitations were sent to unions and labor organizations
to gather participants.)
3) Contents:
- Lecture 1: History of debates on women's liberation
theory
- Lecture 2: Women's policies and the women's movement
in the Soviet Union and Sweden
- Small group discussion: Exchange of activists'
experiences
- Lecture 3: The regional women's movement: A new
chapter in the women's movement
- Lecture 4: The current state of and future tasks for
the women's labor movement in Korea
- Overall discussion: Finding ways to integrate women's
everyday lives in the women's movement
- Evaluation and ending ceremony
* Example: Activist training, held in 1994
- Time: June 12, 1994 (Sun)
(One-day training selected because participants were
mostly married women.)
- Participants: 31 activists with over 2 years of factory-
based activities experience
- Contents:
* Lecture: Attitudes and character of activists (plus
question and answer period)
* Training 1: Small group management
- Includes training on opening ceremonies, group
consciousness,running discussions on readings, human
relations training
- Attendants directly participate in discussions
concerning current issues and note areas that can be
applied in their own trainings.
* Training 2: Creating and running educational programs
- Participants are divided into groups in order to carry out detailed discussions concerning education on small group formation. The themes discussed include topics of educational programs, lecturers, class instruction methods, publicity methods, executive committee composition, and self-management board composition. The results of the discussion are written up and presented.
* Critiques and overall evaluation
* Evaluations:
1) The participating women activists were able to develop a greater awareness of women's issues and strengthen their activities through concentrated training.
2) Trainees went beyond their current roles as grassroots leaders and became recipients of education. This gave them a chance to reflect upon theie activities of the past.
3) As activists in diverse areas participated, the training gave them an opportunity to exchange experiences and Athink collectively about organizational methods.
* Future tasks: The discussions and results that came out of the training program must be put into concrete practice and reflected in organizational activities.
Session III
In May 1992, a small group gathering was created with four women workers from un-unionized companies or factories with yellow unions, wanting to get involved in organizing activities (the four came from four different companies in the electronics, garment, and food processing industries).
Our first task was to run a four-month educational programming on women's issues. Topics included reasons for education on women's issues, the nature of the women's issue, women's issues within capitalism, discrimination against women (practical task 1), maternity protection (practical task 2), employment issues (practical task 3), daycare (practical task 4), the history of the Korean women's movement, the history of women workers' labor struggles, the history of the SWWA, and the role and attitudes of SWWA members.
Secondly, we ran a six-month educational course on workers' philosophy, modern Korean history, and the capitalist economic structure.
Following our first and second rounds of basic courses, the women were encouraged to participate in SWWA's various education and training programs in order to foster their basic attitudes and skills.
One of these women subsequently formed a preparatory committee to form a democratic labor union at her company, and is currently active as a core member. Another formed small group gatherings for workers, teaching poongmul (traditional Korean folk instruments) and labor laws. Another worker, who was active before her marriage, currently has completed her maternity leave and has found another job in a garment factory.
Session IV
- Book: What is the nature of women's issues?
- KWWAU news magazine: Working Women, volumes 20 and 21
- Materials from the Fourth National Seminar for Women Labor
Union Leaders
- Poster and leaflets, "College for the New Generation"
- Materials from training programs targetting women leader
organizers
- Training programming concerning small group activities
- Plans and publicity flyers for Mother's Day activities
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