| kwwa |
2002-10-28 13:39:45, 조회 : 54 |
THE CHANGES OF WOMEN WORKERS' EMPLOYMENT AND THE STRATEGY OF WOMEN WOKERS' STRUGGLE IN KOREA
The main power of Korean economy growth has been women workers who had been engaged in the light industries of 1960's and 1970's. Most of women workers were put into the light industries such as garment and textile, and the government put their efforts in the export oriented - economy policy, which was based on the low wage, terrible working conditions and oppression against the workers' organizing. Through the 1980's, on the basis of women workers' sacrifying , Korea has put the steps towards one of the four dragons in Asia.
Meanwhile, on the division structure of the world economy in 1980's, the Korean government spreaded the industrial restructuring policy with focusing the heavy-chemical industry, and in its process, the women workers who were working in the light industries have been faced to mass dismiss and instablity of employment. However, since the workers' consciousness and activities have been getting more live, which was mainly related with the terrible working conditions like low wage, the government and the company blocked the workers' demands and put the strong strategy to destroy the organizing workers. Therefore, the employment of women workers has been worse in the withrwal of foreign-invested company, transffering the domestic capital to overseas, and mass dismissal by the lock-out of mid-small industries.
Thus, the women dominated industries such as textile, shoes, garment and electronics have been classified as a fading industry, so the government did not care for that. Many women workers were faced to a sudden dismissal since the foreign-invested company made a decision to withrwal their capital, and women workers became an unemployer.
These dismissed women workers organized a continous struggles against the company lock-out and struggles for the employment guarantee. Even, they went to U.S.A. and Japan for their struggle. Regarding the employment and the amendment of foreign-invested company law, they organized a solidarity, so the issue of employment was socialized to the public.
The government strategy on employment in 1990's has been focused to expansion of temporary workers and introduction of foreign workers. The employment strategy to strengthen low wage policy and to destroy the workers' power have been expanded with temporary workers, part-timer, contract-based workers and dauly workers. Since these workers are mostly women, the women workers' employment has been getting instable. Also the workers in Korea do not want to work in such a terrible working conditions, the government put their efforts to introduce foreign workers with the above excuse. The government introduces foreign workers in the name of training program with a leagal status. However, these foreign workers are not guaranteed in terms of human rights, so it became a social problems.
This employment problem has been an obstacle in the movement of equal workers' rights and equality of men and women. Since 1987, the issue struggle such as removal of early-retirement, of promotion-discrimination against the women in bank, of discriminated retirement age, and achivement of same-work, same-pay system,
Still, these discrimination problems in wage, recruitment and vocational training are not solved, yet.
The organized women workers' movement in Korea has been oriented from the workers' union movement in 1970's. At that time, religious organizations and intelligent people supported to the workers' organizing. There were not many democratic unions in 1970's, however, these unions proceeded their struggle on destroying yellow union, establishment of democratic union, 8 working hour system, forced retirement of married or pregnant women workers.
Through the democratic workers union movement, the workers' consciousness has been raised up, and the workers' rights has been improved, however, there are still unsolved women's issues. It has been demanded to develop more subjective women- oriented society from the men dominated ideology and its culture. Especially, the workers' union movement could not socialize the women workers' issue tp be a public common issue. That's why the women workers movement organization has been set up from the end of 1980's in order to confirm the genuine women workers movement. Since the workers' great struggle in 1987, many workers unions have been established, and they organized solidarity struggle on employment stablity, removal of discrimination and expansion of maternity protection. And, they focused to develop women's department in the union. The present tasks on women workers have been put into the social struggle, and it has been develop to criticize the goverrnment policy on women workers and to strengthen the struggle against the government.
Meanwhile, the workers' union which had been involved in the democratic union movement moved forward the continous solidarity since 1987, as a result of that, the movement has a plan of building up the democratic federation of workers unions in the end of this year. At the moment, it's not leagle to set up multi-workers union in one company in Korean society, we anticipate to face with opposition by the yellow federation of workers' unions, however, many women organizations look forward to solving women workers' issue with systematic and organized policy.
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