85th Anniversary on March 8 Int'l Women's Day

Korea Women Workers Association United
Representative Lee Yong Soon


Advocating reform and harmony, our new government has started. The new president has promised to commit himself to enhance the social position of women and has advertised the plan of execution as a public promise on a large scale. However, it is we that have to keep an eye on the execution of the promise and to lead the matter in the right direction. Through firm solidarity, we, women workers should keep on trying to achieve a guarantee for women's life time employment and social equality.

We hereupon celebrate the 85th anniversary or3. 8 Int'1 Women's Day in remembrance of the day when on March 8, 1908 American women workers stood up crying for 'Politica1 equality', 'Wage raise' and 'Forming labor unions' We, women workers pledge ourselves to carry on the spirit of that day and struggle to get the following demands fulfil1ed:

  • Guarantee freedom for labor union activities

  • Objection to mass dismissals, temporary employment and dispatched labor causing insecurity of employment and deterioration of working conditions.

  • Extension of pre & post partum leave to 90 days and guarantee for paid menstruation 1eave.

  • Extension of Day Care Center at work sites and expansion of support for Private Day Care Centers.

  • Enlargement of job opportunities and job training opportunities

  • Abolishment of sexually discriminative education and implementation of sexually equal education.

  • Taking proper measures for dealing with sexual violations, Inquiring into the truth of Jungsindae(Women entertainers for Japanese soldiers) and carrying out reparation for Jungsindae.

  • Curtailment of defense expense and expansion or women's welfare funds

We will make our best efforts to mobilize organized power combined with demands for these to be put into practice. As one of the efforts, we will organize women to increase their rate of participation within the structure of labor union movement. This in turn will create an atmosphere where women's problems are treated with greater importance within the labor union movement and stimulate the tasks that we must carry out.

Women workers!

Let's carry on the spirit of3. 8 Int'l Women's Day and make a strong struggle with a cry for the day when we can be completely assured or women workers' 1ifetime employment and social equality.

A rally in recognition of the 85th anniversary of Mar. 8th In't Women's Day has been held under the joint auspices of each regions' Women Workers' Association, other women associations and labor associations on the issues such as extension of motherhood protection, unemployment insurance and establishment of day care centers at work places.

  1. Program in Seoul area.

    In honor of the 85th anniversary of Mar. 8th Int'l Women's Day. National women workers rally cry for acceleration of women's employment and social equality.

    • Date :March 6, 1992 (Sat. ) P.M. 3:OO
    • Place : Mary Hall in SeoGang University
    • Contents of the program :
      First part : Memorial Ceremony
      Second part : Hanmadang of women workers ; Women workers standing up as masters of work places.
      Invitation Performance : Kim Che1-Ho & Song Factory, Yun Sun-Ae History of Korean Women Workers' movement through photos.
      Drama 'Wishes to Work' : Joong Won EIectronrcs.

  2. Program in Incheon Area.

    '93 Women Hanmadang in honor of Mar. 8th Int'l Women's Day.

    • Date : March 7, 1993 P.M. 2:O0
    • Place : Education Hall of Bupyung Dong Chapel
    • Contest of Program ; Women Song Performance
      Workplaces' song : 'Hospita1, Needlework'
      Slide performance : "Hope for our children"
      Claim : 'Women workers demands to New Government'
      Drama : "World without sexual violation"
      Cheerful Daedong Play (play for unity)

  3. Program in Kwangjoo area.

    Women rally for 85th anniversary of Mar. 8th Int'l Women's' Day.

    • Date : March 8 1993 (Mon.) P.M. 6:3O
    • Place YWCA Main Hall
    • Contest of Program ;
      First part : Memorial Ceremony
      Second part : Cultural Program.
      Employment security, Card section of day care centers' children

  4. Program in Masan Changwon area

    Rally in honor of 85th anniversary of Mar. 8th Int'l Women's' day The 5th Women workers' Han Madang.

    • Sub-theme :`Wishes to live in a world without insecurity or employment
    • Date : March 8, 1993 (Mon.) P.M. 7:OO
    • Place : Catholic Women Hall
    • Contest of Program ;
      First part : Memorial ceremony
      Second part : Cultural Program

      Musical Drama -Theme of sexual violation (Kyung Nam women's' association)
      Leading Dance -Girls student association of Changwon Univ.
      Drama -Family struggle against insecurity or employment. (Sammi Special Iron)

  5. Program in Busan Area.

    The 4th Women Han Madang in honor of 85th anniversary of Mar. 8th Int'l Women's Day

    • Date : March 7, 1993 (Sun.) P.M. 2:OO
    • Place :Hyowon Hall in Busan Univ.
    • Contest of Program ;
      First part : Memorial Ceremony
      Second part :
      Musical Drama -Stable work place, World full or hope to live
      "What about our dance talent?" -Guitar Performance, Songs Performance
      Drama -Theme of 'Sexual Violence, Comfort women for Japanese soldiers "A word from me"


Korea Working Women's Network 1997
Posted by KWWA
|

Looking back over the women's movement in the year 1992

As we look over the draft spread before us of plans for the new year we ponder on where to start and in what direction to go : to further the things we have gained for women in the past and spread them more broadly? to solve the left -over remaining tasks one by one?

In this first issue for the year of 'the working women' we are supporting the comparing for every woman to have the right to 1ifetime employment and equality in employment. We resolve in this Spring to raise the issue to bring it to the attention of the entire nation and move it forward as much as possible.

After the founding of the Korean Women Workers Association(KWWA) in Seou1 1987, a similar organization was founded subsequently in Inchon, Puchon, Pusan, sung Nam and Kwang Ju. In 1992 the women of the masan - Changwon areas formed the Ma -Chang Women Workers Association.

The biggest accomplishment of these organizations during the year of 1992 was to form themselves into a nationwide organization called the Korean Women Workers Associations United. On a nationwide scale it may be a comparatively small organization but it lays the groundwork for growth in the future.

The KWWA, together with women organized in hospitals, financial establishments, professional women and teachers, drew up a list of demands to submit to the struggle for lavour law amendment and for the presidential election. On November 8th when there was a worlcers mass rally for the struggle to reform the labor laws, our women joined in, distributed leaflets and entered the cultural programs in order to publicize the recommendations for labor law amendments related to women. The results were quite effective

But when we 100k at the total results of the work or 1992, we can see that there is stil1 much to be done for achieving ?e right to lifetime employment and equality in employment. In addition to this we have to stay with the previous work of securing maternity protections, security of employment and the expansion of Day Care Centers. These will have to be our combined goals for 1993

  1. STRUGGLE TO SKCURE MATERNITY BENRFITS

    In the past we believed that the content of the maternity protections such as pre and post partum vacation and leave time during the infancy period would have to be the first issues to be secured in order to achieve the rights or equal and lifetime employment. This struggle has now secured the contents of maternity protections in the Labor have been secured in collective bargaining agreements and been accepted in some companies.

    But on the other hand during the previous year, employers have shown organized efforts to weaken the Labor Law and the collective bargaining agreements. So instead of being able to put their energies into expanding maternity protection coverage, the women have had to struggle to save what they already achieved. Nor could the women put much effort into this struggle because they are so threatened by insecurity of their jobs in the majority of small and medium sized companies.

    Well then, let's take a 100k at the attempts of employers to weaken the laws related to women and what is the response of women workers? Last May at the Employers General Meeting they come out with a plan to drastically change the law regarding labor and to eliminate menstruation day leave.

    The Women Workers Associations and the Korean Women's Associations United announced a plan to have a signature compaign to eliminate this plan or the employers and to start a movement for improving the labor laws relating to women in order to extend maternity benefits.

    After many discussions with women workers in hospitals, white collar financial establishments, teachers and professional labor organizations and getting the assistance of labor experts, a draft of an improved law for maternity benefits was drawn up. This was joined to broadly reflect the women workers policies at the time of the presidential election.

    Because of the fact that the numbers of married women are increasing in the work force every day, the threats to maternal protection are proportionately increasing. This makes the securing of maternal benefits that much more an important task. So we must strongly oppose the tactics of employers to weaken the system for maternal protection and must work much more energetically to amend the labor law in its provisions regarding women.

    In order to accomplish this we must again gather together the strength of those in the movement and plan nationwide education and organization in order to make the demand for an amended law become the cry of all women workers. In this way. we can achieve the inclusion of maternal protections in the collective bargaining or every company where our women are employed.

    Case Stories

    With the increase in desire of women for lifetime employment, there has been a greater effort for securing maternity protections in women-dominated companies. We want to tell or a few companies where the women achieved exemplary results in including maternity benefits in collective bargaining.

    At Korea Sure Products, they won 60 days of maternity vacation with pay, a leave period or one year during the infancy period and 7 days paid vacation time in the case of an abortion. At Seoul JooPa company the women secured 90 days of maternity vacation, going beyond even the prescription of the Labor Law.

    In addition, in the case of particularly difficult labor, the worker can get an additional one month leave if she has a doctor's certificate (for which she will receive 50% of usual salary}. At Nam Song Electrical Equipment, 310 of the 360 women employees are trade union members and of theses 25% are married women. They secured 60 days of paid maternity vacation and one year of leave during the infancy period but they will be paid 50% of their usual salary for 60 days of that one year. In the case of abortion after more than 3 months of pregnancy, the worker will receive 30 days of paid vacation.

    After securing these maternity benefits, the number of long term employed women in their middle 20's who continue to work after marriage has risen. With the exception of 15 middle aged women, 60 married women between 26 and 35 had been working at this company before they got married.

    But according to the women officers of the Nam Song labor union. when the worker finished her maternity vacation and wanted to return to work. she often had to resign because there was no suitable care for her child. So that made them see the importance of some solution to help the women during the infancy period in order to guarantee her right to lifetime employment, This is also true of the importance of Day Care facilities.

    Another example is Sam Joo Electric Appliances.

    A 2 day paternity vacation for the father of the baby has been accepted by such companies as sam Joo Electric, Nam Song Electric, Seoul Joopa, Sang Mi Metals etc., showing a recognition of the mutual responsibility for healthy care of the child. This is a Key point for a future More advanced policy where the parents will equally divide the year of leave during infancy

  2. STRUGGLE FOR THE PROPER SOLUTION TO THE IN- FANCY PERIOD PROBLEM

    With the sudden increase of women participating in the job market and an accompanying increase in the number of married women being employed, the social problem of providing care for infants and avoiding the demand and struggle or women for safe and near-by day care for their children became intense.

    The first step in the work to obtain good Day Care Centers(DCC) was estab1ishing a committee for 'the struggle to pass legislation for a DCC Law' which was sponsored by the Community Day Care Center Association. The result of this was that a comprehensive Child.

    Welfare Law was refused but a one-issue Infancy Care Law was passed in Dec. 1990. This contained a certain degree of the content that women had been asking for ' it gave a basic legal protection for DCC run by the communities and provided that the public-run DCC would beestablished with priority for low-income areas.

    Following this the Community Day Care Centers Association and the Women Workers Associations concentrated their attention on the limitations of this legis1ation and on submitting drafts for satisfactory additions to this law. As a result of this. in Aug. of 1991 it was made obligatory that factories employing more than 500 women would have to provide a Day Care Center. Previously this applied only to companies with over 1,000 women.

    Also it contained provisions that insured that DCC would be able to receive financial assistance from the national or the local governments. Under this provision in 1992 families of working parents earned less than 600,000 won a month could receive government supplements for their DCC fees. In Inchon. the local government budgeted one hundred million won for establishment of DCC (in 1993 it was raised to four hundred million).

    While the Women Workers Associations gave enthusiastic support and solidarity to the activities of the Community Day Care Center Association, they also began a struggle for the government to give financial support and amend the laws to make the f0110wing changes:

    1)that not only companies with over 50O women employees should be obligated to provide a company DCC but rather all companies with more than 150 employees of both men and women employees; and 2)in view of the increased number of both men and women teachers, the most ideal kind of educational atmosphere would be provided if each school were obliged to have an annexed DCC. At the same time, the women Workers Associations made it one of their key objectives to further develop the establishment of DCC wherever women are working.

    Last April, there was a large scale Discussion Meeting held in cooperation with a trade union which has the objective or working for the establishment of company DCC's. In 1991 on two occasions a booklet was published on guidelines for the establishment of While Rearing '(your children)'. This book described the movement by working women in Japan for establishment of DCC and the same type of movement in Korea.

    Last June. the trade union of the Orient Company(watch) was successful in establishing a company DCC for the benefit of working mothers. This was the first time this had been accomplished through the efforts of a trade union. It is called Eastern Children's House and can be counted as one of the proud accomplishments of the Women Workers Association effort.

    Building on these successes the DCC movement has focused its effort on a campaign to change the law on DCC Another focus is to obtain national government and local government financing for the Day Care Centers. We are confident that by raising the determination of all women in regard to this matter, we will be very successful in the outcome of this struggle.

    Case Stories

    COMPANY DAY CARE CENTRE 'EASTERN CHILDREN'S HOUSE' achieved by the efforts of a trade union.

    The Eastern Children's House of the Orent Company was opened on June l3th as a company day care center, which was the first successful case among manufacturing industries to achieve such a center through the collective bargaining agreement. This House is located in a near-by building of the company, which is rented. The House has three main rooms, living room, kitchen and toilet.

    The aim is to accommodate children from Two-months to five-years old and it opens from 8 l.m. to 6 p.m. As for the House fee, it ranges : l00,000 won for one-year infant, 80,000 won for two-year old child and 50,000 won for a child over three years.

    When the trade union was formed in l987, there were over l,000 workers, however, at the present stage, it has decreased to 3OO workers. Thus, the union leadership could not help exploring ways of how to strengthen the union and how to solve the childcare problems of married wonenof how to strengthen the union and how to solve the child membership has decreased because of child care problems, most of them are leaving the union.

    Exactly at this momentum, the idea of having a company day care center occurred to the union leadership. After the 1ong term struggle of two years, finally the Orient trade union reached the agreement : the company would rent workers, Since the women memberships has decreased because of child care problems, most of them are leaving the union.

    Exactly at this moment, the idea of having a company day care center occurred to the union leadership. After the long term struggle of two years, finally the Orient trade union reached the agreement :the company would rent the place for day care center, the interior furnishings would be provided by the company and the monthly managerial expense would be paid by the company (250,000 won) It was May, l99l.

    However, since the House has been opened and settled. there were a lot of difficulties and much work to be done. First of all, among the union leadership : the chairman of the women's dept. and the general secretary organized a meeting to let the union membership know about the center, and distributed a questionnaire to find out the workers needs. In the process of exploring the managerial methods, the most difficult problem was the women's indifference to the House.

    In the beginning, there were only four children. so it was not possible for the House to accommodate the children with such small funds from the company (2S0.000 won)

    At present, the House has 10 children, although the current financial situation is just enough to pay for the two teachers, still it's very hard to survive. Therefore, there is a lot of work to be done by the House in order to solve the financial problems, and in order to open a relationship between the House, the mothers and the union.

    "Our House is the first day care center the h"

    "Our House is the first day care center the has been accomplished by the union initiative so that's why we have much concern and encouragement coming from the others. So. we feel a very big burden. As for the near-future plan, we will solidly establish so1idly the company day care center by planting a deep concern for the consciousness of the union membership, and will help the women to have the firm will to continue working under the security of life-time employment," said the union vice-president and chairman of the women's dept. Like this, their confident determination will light the future of the Eastern children's House

  3. THK STRUGGLK FOR HAVING EMPLOYMENT SECURITY

    Under the situation of industrial restructuring, the shoes, textiles and electronics have been transferred or managerial rationalization has been explored. In the process, a number or workers have been dismissed. That is the reason that women workers are in an insecure employment stage.

    During the last year of 1992, an average of 29 companies per day had been closed because of bankruptcy, hence this added to the insecure employment status or women workers. Owing to factory automation and managerial rationalization. 79.2% of non-agricultural industries have tried to reduce the number of workers or to replace then with part-timers or temporary workers.

    At this moment, 23.2% of the total women workers have been faced with employment under temporary status. Like this, various causes put more intense pressure on the insecure employment of women workers. It threatens their basic living rights, and has a potential power to destroy the organized workers' base.

    In spite of such a condition, the women workers have no guarantee to be protected under the law or by institutional measures. Therefore, this issue has been raised as the present most urgent task of women workers' problems.

    So far. the Women Workers Associations has tried to explore the ways of publicizing the issue of employment insecurity through : support of the workers' struggle inside the company, research on the situation of women's employment, and open forums & public hearings on the causes and on alternative solutions.

    The year 1992 has seen preparation of plans for legal & institutional solutions for employment problems also research regarding the recently appeared categories (temp. part-time, dispatched) of permanent workers in order to find a solution. The f0110wrng are the demands which the WWA prepared in cooperation with the clerical women workers' organizations.

    1. After three months' working as a temporary worker, it should be changed to an official working status through contracting.
    2. Part-timers should be employed as official employees, and be protected from discrimination.
    3. In case of dismissa1, the women should be protected from being priority targets of dismissal under sexual discrimination.
    4. Implementation of unemployment insurance, etc.

    The main demands of these women workers have overflowed into becoming the main tasks in 1993. Especially, since the bankruptcy of medium small companies have increased to a serious stage, the employers have prevented the workers from touching the issue of employment. Thus, the problem of employment insecurity should be solved urgently. Therefore, in 1993, the legal and institutional, establishment and the workers' union level struggle must be centralized in the name of workers' solidarity and to form a solid struggle front.

    Case Stories

    The labor union members of 3 companies have shown a model case of struggle for employment security on the basis of solidarity.

    Since the employment insecurity problems have become more critical each day, the workers' struggle against company bankruptcy, plant shut-down or closure and no-payment or wage has spread nation-wide, especially in Kuro Industrial Estate.

    First, the Backsan Electronics Co. workers had been faced which an unexpected fabricated company bankruptcy, and all the workers were expelled from the company. In spite of such a serious situation, the women workers have carried on more thasituation, the women workers have carried on more than two years' struggle against the company. Second, the Daehan Optical co. workers have struggled against irresponsible company management and against reducing the number of workers.

    At last, the workers came to Seoul shouting for immediate payment of wages and removal of the insecure employment status. And third, the Jungwon Electronics Co. women workers have struggled in very organized ways against the company management which suppressed the workers' union in order to destroy the workers' power. They organized even married women into a force which has a strong determination to continue the struggle.

    These workers' struggles in the three companies have given great fuel to the workers' movement in 1993. Especially, the new these struggle has been spreading to each company as an important lesson for the workers to be aware of the strength of solidarity.

    It was a classic case of a unions had a representatives' meeting, a special meeting for spreading propaganda, and defined Wednesday as a solidarity day in order to let the workers get together. They arranged cultural activities, discussions, campaigns, and an industrial estate parade. And, they had a big rally to commit themselves to the struggle for employment security and payment of unpaid wages.

    The serious situation of employment insecurity can be anticipated especially in women dominated companies, so a very well-organized and nation-wide workers' solidarity should be formed on the basis of great lesson learned from the above three companies.


Korea Working Women's Network 1997

Posted by KWWA
|
May which has Parents' Day following Children's Day, makes us think of how precious our families are. Now that the living style of young couples and the roles of husbands and wives have positively changed, it is women's important task to make clear what it is to be a really democratic family and lay the foundation of the family.

Therefore, this issue of 'working women' will examine the aspect of a desirable family which provides us with comforts and look into what is the women workers role in laying the foundation which we hope can be helpful for making a democratic family.

  1. Let's think of democratization within our homes

    Whether wives or husbands, most of young couples say that, unlike the happiness they imagined before marriage, the dreams of marriage have gone and life is getting boring. If we look inside these homes, we find the husbands are weighted down by the responsibility for supporting the family and taking the role as its head. Wives are frustrated because of monotonous house work. no voice in family decisions or no time to fulfill themselves children complain that parents excessively re strict their activities.

    What makes our precious resting place, the home become irritating and boresome? Though each family's reason is different, 1et's find out the causes of the reasons given. One or the biggest causes driving our families to be non-democratic is patriarchal authority in which the total family life is controlled by the head of the family, breaking up the morale of mutual respect. That is, most of men have an excessive idea that only they can be responsible for the whole life of their families, over and above their responsibility for their families' living in terms of finance.

    However, this idea ignores the important fact that al1 the members of a family lead the family through their cooperation when they play their roles faithfully. the husband handles al1 matters arbitrarily in his dictatorial & authoritative way. In order not to go against his authority, the wife suppresses her own opinions, apreads all day doing routine housework, negates her own important role and submits to a state of helplessness.

    On the other hand, subdued by the authority of their parents, children become passive and follow whatever their parents say or they rebel and go against their parents' directions without any consideration.

    As things stand in this way, what efforts should we make in order to plant in the home the roots or democracy where each one can equally speak out their own thoughts and play their own part with cooperation?

    1. Toward couple's relationship with mutual respect and equality.

      A couple is a small community bound together equally and companionship for encouraging each other throughout life. Although people agree to the above statement, when the matter of improvement of women's position at home comes up they say with dissatisfaction ' As there is a husband's role at home so is there a wive's. Then if they are equal, what happens to the home?'

      However, this is nothing but an opinion that unfairly forces women to play submissive and partial roles under the assertion that there is a big difference between men's role and that of women at home. On the contrary, if a couple respect and accept each other's role at home. the rest or domestic matters will be divided in a natural way.

      If a couple forms a mutually respectful and equal relationship at home women will energetically do their own work with the help of families instead or giving up outside employment or doing their duties under pressure with lack of confidence.

    2. Trust & Love become a solid bounding through conversation and Family Meeting.

      Although it is said that to know a person's inner mind is impossible, through conversation over daily happenings and feelings a married couple can dissolve their conflicts and help to correct each other's weaknesses.

      As for children, instead of unconditional commands, sufficient explanation and conversation to make them understand can lead them with practice to forming an independent life with self-judgement.

      Accordingly it is necessary that between a couple or parents and children should there be frequent talks and family meetings on a regular day say once a week or once a month. In the beginning it would be regarded as an irritating thing but as time goes by, the family will feel that trust and belief in each other become deeper.

    3. Sharing housework with all members of the family

      When both are working, it is the burden of housework on women that causes the most trouble for women. As women need to take a rest at home to recharge them for the next day, it is necessary for children and husband to share housework as members of the family with a certain degree of taking responsibility for the family community.

      In the morning while women prepare the breakfast, children and husband can clean bedrooms and arrange things around the home if necessary. In the evening if whoever comes home earliest naturally washes the dishes piled up and prepares supper, everyone who comes later will feel refreshed and happy. Even better, through such a life all the family members will be happier even with their duties at work.

    4. Turning 'my' children into 'our' children

      Getting into an age of nuclear families, it becomes the parent's big concern that children are raised to be selfish rather than to share in a common country. In particular, when the father of the family head, passes the role of children's education onto the mother, the chi1dren come to be lack in independence and have trouble associating with others due to growing up as spoiled children through a relationship with only the mother. On the other hand, as mother pours out on her children the stress accumulated by wrestling to discipline them the result causes bad effects on both sides.

      Since it is baby care that forces women workers to give up theirs jobs, it is important for couples to get over the biased idea, 'Mother should care for their baby'. That is, the matter or baby care should be resolved positively with cooperation through day care centers at work places. The husband should help and not pass the responsibility of baby care totally onto the women.

      As we previously look into the requirement for democratization of families, in the light of the facts, to what extent has our family's democratization proceeded and what l should put into practice right away? Democratization of families has to be the first task for our women workers who are so busy everyday as if they are fighting a war, and family democratization will serve as a basses to establish social democratization. Therefore, to build up democratization of the family, it is we who should draw out our husband's and families' support.

  2. A variety of efforts for democratization within families

    1. Love of family deepened by establishing a family meeting.

      Pucheon YMCA has carried out active programs in many areas such as a campaign for not buying foreign cigarettes, Consumers Cooperative Union campaign and Activation of a campaign for local self government through reform of educational environment nature preservation campaign, recommendation or civic candidates and a civic campaign for fair elections and so on, which the YMCA gradually extended into a family democratization campaign.

      Beginning with the members who used to attend various other programs or projects, the YMCA runs such new projects as couple camp, class for father where 'family meetings' have been recommended. As a result of this 100 families have come to hold family meetings. For sure the meetings help the families establish democratization within their families.

      Jang Kyung-moon's family that has brough1 democratization of the family to reality through family meeting was introduced to our edition department by the courtesy of the YMCA. So we met 4 members of the family that lives in Joong-dong, Pucheon.

      It was not until son, Sukjae (now the second year of elementary sch001) became a member or an athlete group of the YMCA at the age or 7 that Jang Kyung-moon's family started a relationship with the YMCA. The couple without hesitation took part in a couple camp held by the YMCA after hearing their son say the camp. The camp suggested family meetings for democratization of the family, introduced good examples and some caution points and also handed out record book of family meetings on which they can write down the substances of their family meetings.

      In the April of the next year the father, Jang Kyung-moon, finished a program called 'class for father' held by he YMCA which became an important motive to put the family meeting into practice. After learning about children's education, couple relationships, the detailed role as a father and a husband and father's position occupied in modern society, he became a model of a good father who leads a happy family in a healthy society and at last began to put the family meeting into action.Starting like this, at present the family meeting is held every third Saturday of the month.

      Until establishing the family meeting there were many problems. It is difficult for a couple, to say nothing of children, to get used to atmosphere of the family meeting. In addition, when they have a domestic fight, it is not easy to face each other at the meeting pretending that nothing has happened. In particular, Jang Kyung-moon felt frustrated at first since, through the meeting, his authority as father would fall down to the ground and sometimes he thought it was uncomfortable because there were so many elements to restrict his authority as the family head.

      However, he reflected on the past when he thought housework should be done only by his wife and all he had to do was earn money and assume authority at home. Since then he realized it was not merely his authority but voluntaries and creativity that will bring about the family's development.

      A family meeting starts with reflection of the past week, selection of topic, discussion. resolutions and announcements in that order. Results of the meeting will be written down in a record book of family meetings without fail. Topics presented frequently at the meeting are: practices for nature preservation, frugality, responsibility for doing one's own work, sharing housework and using correct and polite words.

      As a specific way of practicing the topics there is a penalty rule like 150 won(Korean current unit) for insisting on one's own opinion without condition. 10O won for speaking ill of others, 100 won for being disorderly, 100won for not eating a11 one's mea1. Son, Sukjae economizes on energy through saving tap water and puling out plugs of electric appliances. Daughter, Hyeryun cleans and collects empty packs of milk and rearrange shoes and other trivia1 things around the house. Of course basically they do their own work by themselves. When asked what is good about a family meeting, the children replied clearly 'Families get closer through more conversation than ordinarily.

      The regular pattern of life helps us to express ourselves at school'. Mr. and Mrs. Jang said they were surprised when they saw their children think and judge in a nature way at the meeting.

      As their children do their work for themselves, they have hardly had to scold or blame their children since the family meetings started. This is one of the greatest fruits from the meetings. Of course, sometimes their chi1dren's behavior is not satisfactory from the parents' view.

      However, Jang Kyung-moon decided not to scold their children in such way as saying 'Why didn't you do what you had promised at the family meeting?' since by doing this the original purpose of the meeting to proceed toward a right way of life wil1 be distorted. If they restricted each other's activities under the veil of a family meeting, it will be painful then for each member of the family. One of the meeting's purposes is to provide their children with an opportunity to reflect on past living. As seen from the points above, as a topic of family meeting we need to choose one that we can carry out with ease

      The record of 14th family meeting

      Date

      April 28. 1993

      Place

      Living room

      Participants

      Jang Kyung-moon(father), Yeom Dong-sook(mother)

      Jang Hye-ryun (daughter), Jang Suk-jae (son)

      M.C

      Jang Kyung-moon

      Recorder

      Mother

      Reflection on the past week;

       

      Father : Too much spoke bad words. Will be careful with tongue.

      Mother : Not paid any penalty. Will keep going in this manner.

      Son : Got rid of the behavior of saying 'O. K' since the penalty started.

      Daughter : Paid a penalty once for stubbornness. Will keep the rule with caution.

      Topics

      1. Sharing parts of housework. Not passing it onto only Mom 3 persons approved (topic selected)
      2. Keeping what we resolved to do (with penalty method)
      3. Doing one's own work for oneself
      4. frugal Iiving

      Discussion

      Daughter : Clean up bedrooms, Rearrange shoes, Do errands for parents

      son : Clean up his room. Switch off lights, Turn off tap water

      Mother : Help father's work

      Father: Help mom with general housework Clean for spring time

      Resolution

      Will become an exemplary family to keep well what was discussed and decided at the meeting.

      What the couple wishes to build up is a good relationship with their children(One is 2nd year of elementary school and the other is 4th) so that their children may confide in their parents about problems of life, friends or sexual matters without reserve even during adolescence. To be sure, every parent has dreamed of having such a relationship but Mr. Jang's family tried their best to make the dream true which is certainly sure of being a cornerstone for democratization within the family and further within society.

    2. Meeting for those who want to be a geed father

      Since the patriarchal authority of our husbands and our children's fathers are deeply rooted and accordingly their voices have a strong influence on our families, so also their efforts plays an important role in forming a democratic family.

      Lately a movement has begun in which fathers of their own accord try to become good fathers and to devote themselves for democratization within the family and society.

      As a result of the movement, 1ast May a meeting of those who want to be good fathers was inaugurated and May l was declared as "Good Fathers' Day". They carried out various activities such as family camp, awards for a good father, education of good parents, travel for father and children together and so on for the purpose of father for a happy family, father for a secure family, family for a good neighborhood, father for a peacefu1 society, farther for being a model adult.

      Though we can't describe here in detail all the efforts and activities of the meeting of those who want to be good fathers, we will 100k at the ideas and resolutions of the fathers at the meeting which will be a good mode1 for good fathers of our families.

      We'd like to be a good father

      We would each like to be a good father. However, it is difficult to say what kind of father is a good father. Even though l think I am a good father, I can't be sure l am.

      'What do our children think of us? Man also earns money? Workaholic man? Drinking man? Man sitting before T. V or man not easily to meet? Whatever, we'd like to know how we can be a good father and how we can carry it out. However, to be a good father can't be accomplished only by our wishes.

      For sure we need to have an effort to be but we feel stifled in not knowing how. It is not only l who feel awkward. Those who feel the same way started to gather and talk. 'To be a good father we should be interested in our children. "I think we should be rich with 1ove. "Wel1, we should present exemplary behavior to them. "We should help them develop independence."

      As a our ideas grows bigger, if gets vague. So we try to think out more specific ways. In my case, to show my interests when l get up in the morning. I gave a big hug to my children. "I always prepare a gift for their birthdays." "I let them do hard work to train them to be independent."

      It was good to have frequent talks. Since we learn a lot from each other, the time of meeting can be far better than time of drinking. O. K then let's have a regular meeting and search for a good method.

      Our efforts started like this. Since then the times of the meetings increased and we learned a lot there about how to be a good father. Now really we can lead the life of a good rather. We realized that to be a good father can not be done only through to have a good relationship with children. To have a good husband and wife relationship is pre-requisite and to do our best can never be enough.

      However, do you know what happened? It didn't work as we had resolved. So again we started to feel discouraged. To talk with each other over the phone doesn't work effectively. All of us have already known what we should do. We didn't realize before that to know is one thing and to practice is another.

      Therefore, we decided to make a meeting for practicing and we set a topic for the month such as 'Let's draw out good things from our children and praise them for that.' We put the topic into action and then discuss it. The meeting came to be very helpful.

      During the meeting we came a closer to one another and while we were trying to be good fathers, we became good neighbors. As much as we have thought of good things, so good things happened. Now we share our difficulties and pleasures with each other. Not only fathers but also mothers and children come to make many new friends and our concern about children decreases.

      We know these activities of ours are just beginning. We feel very sorry to just keep these ideas to ourselves. We would like to share the ideas. Then we are sure that not only our life at work will be more meaningful but also our society will be more enlivened. The thought that our children will take after our behavior which try to live the life of a good father makes us happy.

      Resolutions to be a good father

      1. Whenever we are with our children, we should have many talks with them so that we may understand what they think and what are their goals. As conversation between any one means to equally exchange one's thought and ideas, we should think if we are insisting on our own thought rather than listening to our children
      2. We should make a time even for a few minutes with our children every day. when it is impossible to have time with them, we should continue to communicate with them through 1etters, memos or phone calls. And if possible we shouldn't make any excuse before our children saying 'I am so tired or l am so busy.'
      3. More than once a week let's go out with children or do sports or hobbies with them.
      4. . Not only through words but also through action (smiling, hugging. playing or bathing) show your affection to them.
      5. . Make a frequent visit to your children's room and look at memos, notes or textbooks or your children or check out the state of arrangement in their room by which you show your interest in the living environment of your children's.
      6. Let's possibly praise our children for good behavior and understand their wrongs as much as we can considering they are not a perfect being from the physical and menta1 point or view. In addition, when you have to scold them make clear the reason you are doing it. and make sure you blame them, not for their characters but for their wrong behavior.
      7. Don't force our children to have the same life as our saying it is the best. Though we wish our children to do as we like, we should understand they think in a different way from the way we do, and respect their ideas and judgement.
      8. We should provide children with an opportunity for them to take part in house work or other social work according to their abilities not prejudice they are too young to do something.
      9. Children grow up learning from the realationship with their parents. To be a good couple should be a pre-requisite for being good parents. Therefore, let's show each other's concern and affection for one another by having frequent talks and understanding each other. In case we should have a domestic fight, 1et's not do it in front of the children. Don't forget that disharmony between parents will shake the roots of trust and love in families.
      10. Father should be a mental support for his children. He should always show them a coherence in behavior and thought as this wil1 serve as an adult model and a psychological support for them.
    3. Class for making a happy home led by women

      The wives section of the Pusan Women Workers Association realized their meetings had been focused on making friendship and upgrading their own quality and developing themselves. So since the second half of last year, they decided to enlarge their meeting to include the women who are around them in the neiborhood.

      A project which they think can be carried out in a friendly and intimate way is to develop various efforts and take action for the purpose of making a happy home. Therefore, the name of the 'Wives' Section' was changed into "Class for Making a Happy Home"

      One or our women's concerns urgently needing to be solved is to solve the conflicts and problems that occur at home where they spend the whole day. Through solution of these problems, women can make a happy life in a happy home. However, in reality there is almost no opportunity where we, women can confide the problems that happen in our daily life and get the way of solving them.

      Therefore, the class for making a happy home of the Pusan Women Workers Association gathers these women helps them to understand their frustrated emotions. However, then it is found they are not big problems but ones that can easily be solved. Of course there were some problems that could not be solved.

      We see the reason for this is because patriarchal customs and family selfishness has taken root deeply in our homes. In the 1ong run, the time provided us with an opportunity where we realized that to make a happy home, we should rectify women's problems and social problems which are prevalent in our society along with efforts at our home and our own efforts as individuals

      Starting with 6 members, the class for making a happy home has a meeting now with 5 members because one has to rest due to frequency. In the beginning they started to tell about their own domestic troubles which they are usually reluctant to reveal.

      As a result, they found out that the common problem that all of them have was caused by lack of conversation between family members. Therefore, they decided to make a program for other women to join and to make a specific preparation to sort out their issues.

      At present, the common thinking is to be a good couple is pre- requisite to having a happy home. They read books called 'The way to be a true couple', 'Love and marriage learned in a reverse way' and confide to each other their feelings about their experience in domestic fights whom conflicts between coup1es come out, Though this they try to find the methods for developing a right relationship between couples.

      Based on such activities, they are planning in the future to hold an open lecture, to put on a drama and to open talks with invited couples of workers. Later this year there is a plan to publish a reference with a collection of case studies and reports of successful practice which have consistently been done. When they accumulates the more experience and upgrades their capabilities with an enlarged member organization, they plans to do a project in 1994 on the relationship between parents and children based on the theme of "Conversation Section with Children".

Posted by KWWA
|

The reality situation and couterplan of dispatched labor

On last Mar. 27 a talk was held on the reality situation of people deprived of their right, two fold exploitation and dispatched labor in Seoul which the Korean Women Workers United and Korea Trade Union Congress sponsored. Many dispatched workers took part in the meeting  and revealed the serious condition of dispatched labor. The talk was an opportunity to set up a  coutermeasure to the reality situation.

We "Working Women" would to like to examine here  how the law for dispatchment of workers affects on the workers while objection to formulating the law has been mobilized. We would also like to bring to light the serious matters that burden our workers as a result of this system following is the substance of  opinions expressed at the meeting

  1. The real status of deprivation of rights, double exploitation and dispztched labor

    Although hopeful words like 'civil-elected government' or 'reformation' are making the rounds of the nation, it is realized that no difference is seen at all in the tiresome living of we laborers.

    Last Mar 23 the alleviating measures on regulations of environment gave a hint of how deceptive is this so-called civil government promise. Under the veil of appealing to the people to 'share the pain', the government announced it would allow workers dispatching business. This will enslave workers and bring benefits only to those who utilize the dispatching system.

       The workers dispatching business which has been prohibited by law has been functioning under the name of subcontracts or part time work. Far from being protected by law, the workers suffer from wage exploitation and over-time work. In ignorance of the reality, the government has done nothing but allow more extensive use of dispatched labor.

    In addition, seeing that most of the workers dispatching business owners are retired military officers, it is reasonable to question whether the government hastily formulated the concerned law for the purpose of legalizing their illegal activities of them.

    The question was not only that one. The illegal employment of workers makes the working conditions worse and adds weights to the matter of employment insecurity. Therefore, we can't accept the logic that legalization or the workers dispatching business wil1 restore our economy.

    On the contrary the business will trample on the basic rights of workers. While looking into related cases we will now examine the reality and the problems or dispatched labor which is in the process of being legalized.

    1. The reality of dispatched workers working for facility maintenance

      With the main duties such as maintenance, repair and maintenance of buildings, most facilities management consists of dispatched workers. In the beginning the business centered on gate guards and dispatched cleaning labor but now it is gradually extending into air conditioning or heating apparatus of building, computer system, facilities for disaster prevention, maintenance and repair of elevators, parking superintending, telephone operators and driving, etc.

      At present 90% of workers for facilities maintenance are employed by about 700 workers dispatching companies. With poor working conditions, 1ack of concern both from society and their employers, the workers are suffering from twofold exploitation by the dispatchers themselves and the employers.

      In comparison with regular workers in the same jobs, the dispatched workers receive far lower wages and can't invoke the three rights of labor. This brings them to a state where they literally have no right. Despite the fact that they make an employment contact with dispatched labour companies, they have to be under the direction and control of other companies for  whom they work. Under such duplication of employment relationship, they are threatened by employment insecurity.

      In the process of making an employment contract, workers have to sign the contract paper  handed over by the workers dispatching company. In actual it is not a contract paper but  a memorandum which says the worker is  aware that the job he assumes is temporary and supervised work.

      As the facilities maintenance job is classified as supervised and temporary work (according to labor standard 1aw provision 49, article 3) the workers dispatching companies can get unfair profits by assigning the workers to work continuously for 24 hours without approval of a labor committee and don't have to pay over-time working allowance, night time working allowance and on holiday-working allowance.

      As a result of this, more than 90% of workers for facilities maintenance have been harassed with over-time work exceeding the standard working time prescribed by law although they are not engaged in supervised and temporary duties. In fact they lost their lawfu1 right to the standard working times related to length of work, night time work and holiday work. In the event that a worker makes a protest against such matters, his entrance to a company is to be rejected without any consideration.

      The average working time per week of workers for facilities maintenance is excessive Over-time of 72-80 hours, in excess of the standard working time of 44 hours. However, in spite of such over-time work, a low wage of around 4 to 600000 won (about $500 to $750) is paid to these workers. Additionally since not only the wage level is low but also the working career is not recognized, there is no difference in wage between new comers and people of over 20 years' employment.

      In addition workers dispatching companies absorb almost 50% of the workers' pay in the name or a management fee, running expenses and profits (about 7% of the workers' wage). So the monthly pay of an old woman who comes to work early in the morning and cleans a big building, is no more than 200,000 won($250)

      Such a low wage causes workers to change their jobs frequently. Within 3 years almost the total staff has been changed. Due to that high ratio of job shifting a lot of workers leave with less than one year working time.

      Accordingly workers dispatching companies can take bonus, retirement allowance and 1ong term allowance which the actual workers are suppose to receive. For example, H company took in money up to the amount of 400,000,OOO won ($500.000}during the one year of 1992.

      Despite the fact that the workers dispatching companies' exploitation in the middle is acute, the companies are doing almost nothing. Almost no skill training courses are available. Each worker utilizes the skills they have learned at schools or institutes.

      In addition the majority or working environments are harmful and dangerous so that workers are apt to suffer damage to eyesight, hearing, respiratory disease and pneumonia. Finger amputation and death from falls are frequent accidents but nothing has been done for the workers to protect them from inquiry or promote good health.

    2. The reality of women workers working on computer input

      With the start of the 90's, the adjustment of industrial structure has proceeded rapidly and government agencies as well as many companies has propelled office automation with a view to rationalization and efficiency of management so that workers for computer input has increased at great speed. The majority of the workers are women because their duties are so simple that they just input information which has previously been in paper documentation before so that computers can read the information.

      Until 1989 they had worked as regular employees but began to be converted to temporary. This has begun to be wide-spread since Maxtec shut down under a false plant closure. Taken away from their Jobs and facing the need to make s living, they have no choice but to be reemploy in temporary works such as computer work at home, part time work or dispatched labor, etc.

      In the case of S company, a software company, there are 16 regular workers out of about  150 and the rest are composed of such temporary workers as computer work at home, farmed out labor or part time work in office etc, which shows out how seriously the matter or temporary works increases day by day.

      Since workers for computer input are paid according to 100% result wage system, the company gives regular workers such simple duties as amendment of basic errors while allowing temporary workers to do relatively better-equipped and high-valued input.

      Such simple work gives the regulars a feeling of ineffectualness. In actual fact this has been a company scheme to force a sealing down of 110 regular employees to 16 and consequently to emasculate the strength of the labor union.

      Of various types of temporary works let's examine a subcontracted companies or professional workers dispatching companies through which we can 100k with more detail into the situation of farmed out workers who are to be dispatched to offices of business enterprises, government or public offices.

      It is a reality that the farmed out computer input workers dispatched to an enterprise have to do such errands as xeroxing or preparing coffee to say nothing of the duty of computer input.

      In the case of dispatching being done through a professional workers dispatching company, most of the companies make a contract with a worker individually on the phone, pay him or her on line and send the statement of wages to the company the worker is to work for.

      Therefore, the majority of workers have no idea of the statement of their wages. The double structure between employment process and actual working causes workers to have no feeling of belonging either to the workers dispatching company or to the company they work for. Even worse, they are isolated and dispersed so that they do not even know who are their fellows.

          Despite the fact that dispatched workers carry out the same amount of work for the same working time as that of regulars, they are treated in a discriminatory way in the matter or various allowances, holidays, retirement allowance and so on. The amount of their wage remains half the amount of regulars'.

      Those who are doing simple input duties by using terminals are troubled with such VDT symptoms as impediment of eyesight, shou1der or side pains and mental stress. In spite or their suffering, in the case of software industries, the VDT symptoms are not recognized as an occupational disease.

      What makes the situation still worse is that due to their state of temporary employment, they can't be covered by medical insurance. Since the absolute majority of workers in the feide are women, the ill effects on reproductive matters such as miscarriage, still birth, deformed baby or sterility caused by VDT symptoms in the field of software industries become more serious.

    3. The problems and union's Countermeasures or dispatched labor seen from permanent employees point of view.

      The dispatched workers system called dispatchment of workers in official and financia1 works has proliferated rapidly in each industrial field since 1987. With the appearance of labor unions, it became impossible to manage employees in the usual way of managing workers. On the other hand, under the name of rationalization of management, the companies want to reduce personnel expenses and to manage personals in a flexible way in accordance with fluctuation of the economy.

      For these reasons the on-going system is expected to be extended into the secondary financial agencies. Since the system is so widely prevalent that there are some offices with dispatched workers who equal the number of regulars, a variety of troubles have occurred in each industrial field.

      With the increase of women beginning to have their own voice and increased activity in vitalization of labor unions in official and financial fields, the position of women has become relatively higher in comparison to that of women previously.

      Accordingly the re1ationship between women and men workers has gradually become paralleled. However, since most or dispatched workers are women, men staff speak to them in a rude manner that they couldn't do to regular women workers and this increases a negative out look toward women in genera1.

      Extending application or the law for sexual equality in the right to employment, employers have avoided recruiting women and prefer to get dispatched star so that regular women workers continue to decrease in number. Therefore, within working places, women have to face difficulties in enlarging their organizations or raising their united voices. and it also affects the degree or their participation in labor union activities.

      The fact that regular workers are given simple boring tasks or these which cause disease such as computer terminals, has also adversely affected working consciousness, developing a group selfishness.

      From the point of view of wages and welfare, there is a big difference between the regular and the dispatched so that the regular workers feel sorry when pay day comes, and the dispatched workers are relatively depressed. This drives the atmosphere of the whole working places into gloominess.

      Apart from simple repetitive duties, employment of dispatched workers has had a tendency to be extended and take over the duties of regular workers. Naturally the organizing power of labor unions becomes weakened.

      When workers took a collective action, dispatched workers continued to carry out duties of the regular workers on strike. Therefore, it is no wonder that the struggle power of unions has become weaker. Since the situation of dispatched workers is covered bylaw and the use or it allows employers to reduce regular staff and worsen working conditions, it is important for the labor unions to take steps to organize the treatment of dispatched workers and the man (woman) power dispatching business. We will now 100k into the aspects to be covered by labor union activity.

      First or all, it is necessary to have dispatched workers become permanent since they not only do temporary duties but they also replace regular workers at their duties. Secondly, the matter of dispatched workers should be dealt with at the collective bargaining table or other negotiations, allowing for no discrimination between regulars and them.  

      Thirdly, for the purpose of rectifying the unfair treatment of dispatched workers and preparing measures to protect them, their entrance into the unions should be expedited. Fourthly, that all work places join together and develop a common front to oppose the  proposed law for dispatched workers and root out the illegal worker dispatching companies is absolutely necessary.

  2. Problems of dispatched labor and our coutermeasures

    The big difference between the dispatched workers and regulars starts with the separation of employers from users. Wage and working conditions of dispatched workers are decided by a contract made between owners or the worker dispatching companies and those of companies which use the dispatched labor.

    In case of breaking the contract between the dispatching company and the company using the dispatched labor, the worker is suddenly out or work. In a such state with no rights at all, the dispatched workers suffer from extreme insecurity of employment.

    Because this is made sexist language and suggest either saying: 'man-woman power' or just 'workers' dispatching business is an illegal work which violates the Labor Standard Law. In essence a third party invades the employment of other persons and takes out unjust profits. However, workers dispatching companies of our country cover their management expense and profit from workers' wages. The ratio of in-between exploitation is, astonishingly, equal to the amount that the workers receive.

    Apart from the above bad influence, expansion or dispatched labor is directly utilized to make the labor movement powerless. That is under conditions which makes it too difficult to organize them, dispatched workers gradually replace the regulars, which weakens the existing organizational power of labor unions and leads to their collapse. Also the  spread of dispatched labor leads to a vicious cycle or employment insecurity, weakening of labor organizing power and deterioration of working conditions.

      In addition, the gradual spread of dispatched  work gives rise to a weakening of the national economy. Even though the problem of low productivity and low quality is the responsibility or the business sector, it is true that weakening competitiveness in the world market and reduction of the domestic market can bring on an economy crisis. With a view to establishment of a society where we can al1 1ive cooperatively together, we ask the government for the f0110wing:

    1. Government should stop immediately the plan to unjustly legalize the worker dispatching business which is proceeding now under the name of establishment or new economy.
    2. Government should let those who are presently dispatched workers become directly employed by the company they are working for. Since dispatched workers are doing the same work as that of regulars in the working place, there is no workers who would want to be a dispatched worker. This means there should be no obstacle to allowing them to convert to regulars.
    3. Government should enforce the nation's function or job introduction and demolish  private job introductory business in order to supply workers easily Also, government should then strengthen then occupationa1  training and implement unemp1ornent insurance principle as soon as possible in order  to relieve workers from the insecurity of employment.
    4. Government should root out the unfair discriminatory treatment according to type of employment and enforce administrative maintenance to observe the principle of equa1 work for equal pay.

    However, of course such demands to the government side will be realized by the unity and struggle of workers. Therefore, the solidarity or all workers should put forth a resolute objection to the formulation of a worker dispatching law which government and capitalists have recently been attempting to do.

    This meeting became an opportunity to bring to light the reality of dispatched workers and to figure out a counterpane. Being together the various aspects resulting from this meeting, Let's do our best to develop effective countermeasures to h dispatched workers system.


Korea Working Women's Network 1997
Posted by KWWA
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New Labor Policy and Our Countermeasures

With the inauguration of our new president Kim Young-Sam this past Feb. 25th, A systematic reorganization of the ruling structure began in earnest. Accordingly economic and labor policies of President Kim Young-Sam came into view in a more concrete and more integrated way than the partial try-out and groping method of previous ones. Now preparing the struggle for wage raises, we workers can not help but be concreted whether the labor policy will serve as a solution to such matters as insecurity of employment and suppression of labor unions to the extent that the policy fulfills the slogan 'Construction of A New Korea'

At this point we will 100k into the labor policy advocated by President Kim Young-Sam. and search together for a workers' alternate plan to the policy.

  1. What is the new labor policy?

    In the 2nd half of 1991, an attempt was made, at great cost to the workers, to overcome the economic problems of Korea such as decline or international competitiveness and risk or capital accumulation. Thereafter a new attempt to set up a policy for labor contro1 has followed persistently. In early 1992 the principle of 5% raise on the total wages was implemented and in Nov. the policy of working time variation policy was introduced, examined and announced.

    Under such circumstances the President faced serious risks to the Korean economy and at 1ast made a new labor policy which put the first priority on the task of economic reform. However, if we expect a new and fresh labor policy at the sight of the slogan 'New Labor Policy' we will be disappointed immediately.

    The past June l when President Kim Youn-Sam met the executive staff or the National Labor Union (Chunnohyup}, he made a complaint saying 'We have too many days off in Korea.' He also showed the intention or labor exploitation under the pretex of accentuating cooperation between capital and labor with a claim that the pains of capita1 and labor should be shared mutually and 1abour should take the initiative to liven our economy. Since there has not yet been any complete blueprint of the new labour policy, which basically seems no different from the previous one of the 6th government, it is difficult to see clearly what the policy is.

    However, through an analysis of the content presented by the Labor Affairs Ministry in past Sept, we can figure out the main outline of the policy's features.

    In a word under the name of the New Lab our Policy they intend to dismantle at a single stroke the democratic movement of labor unions which has grown up since 1987 and also secure a stable rule of capital over labor.

    On the other hand, they plan to exploit labor in such an effective way as rearranging the structure of wage and employment as well as organization of labor unions on a large scale. Subsequently they aim to carry out this policy by drawing out an agreement from labor through a variety of ideological offensives.

    We will now take a careful look into the substance of the policy.

    1. Reforming the relationship between capital and labor to strengthen the controlling power of private capitals over labor.

      The new labor policy targets at the reformation of capital and labor relations so that private capital sectors can rule over labor in dependently with the utmost restraint of law enforcement authorities or government control.

      Using tactical sanctions like financial policy and industrial policy, the government intends to have its plans carried through by private capital sectors. Accordingly government can control both private capital sectors and lab our in an inclusive way.

      For example, the government will hand over the wage contro1 principle to independent negotiation between capital and labor. In case the wage rises in excess of 3% of total wages designated by the government, the government will examine whether there is an unfair transaction of the concerned company and/ or take the company out of many kinds of protective measures.

      Through these indirect ways, the government aims to carry out its control over industries.

      We can guess the reasons for this as follows;

      Since the private capital sectors lost their control over the labor unions movement owing to the a wakening and organizing of working masses the relation of labor and management has developed independently from the law enforcement authorities. However, taking advantage of the relative slackness of labor union activities and the victory of the presidential election, the government came to be in a better position.

      With private business sectors at the head, 1aw enforcement authorities play their roles at the rear and intend to maintain their prestige. By means of such a policy, the cooperative relation of management and labor will be rooted in the way the government desires.

      Of course this doesn't mean the government totally excludes physical and violent intervention of law enforcement authorities. The government's new labor policy makes it clear that they have a hidden agenda for exploiting labor by law enforcement authorities as the last fortress for suppressing labor union activities against the policy

    2. Reform working structure of laborers

      Under the veil of having a fluid supply and disposition or labor in compliance with changing conditions of the economy and market, the policy plans to exploit labor in an effective way. They have trained regular workers to be multi-skilled and posted the workers to a variety of jobs or enlarged their duties.

      They tried to diminish the power of regular workers by planning to supply irregular workers (temporary workers or dispatched workers) for other collateral works.

      It can be seen that their intention is to increase labor intensity for regular workers and insecurity of empIoyrnent conditions for irregular workers. All the worst of this is that they disguised their intentions as a campaign or humanization for workers: to be multi-skilled provides workers with a chance to overcome human alienation caused by repetitious tasks and to restore dignity through a variety of jobs.

    3. Reform of Labor Union Management

      Government said 'With the rapid increase of new labor unions since 1987, it is recognized that there has been a lot of unlawful labor campaigning and illegal management of labor unions.

      It is also considered that the formation of various labor union organization systems such as industry based unions and national labor union federations has caused friction with the existing individual campany based unions' from the above it is apparent that control over the labor unions in an effective way is the principle of the new labor policy for labor unions. The policy showed itself as fo11ows under the cloak of 'reform of labour union management to establish the relation between capital and blue collar workers'.

      Enforcement of higher federation' position

      Reform of the labor union organization system and negotiation structure includes compulsory membership in a higher federation and obligatory payment of union fees. From the point of view of straightening the federation and collecting the power of labor effectively, this policy can be advantageous for us.

      However, the hidden intention is to focus on the federation which has only feeble power at this stage to struggle and organize. The policy will be a good pretex to exclude the power of the democratic labor unions from the process of negotiation

      Invasion of labor union management

      To weaken the activities of local labor unions, total time labor union staff members' wages shall be drawn from the account of the labour union. Regulations will be prepared which restrict labor union activities by preventing workers from doing these activities during work time and from using company facilities.

      Labor union attempts to improve its organization with the view to reformation of inefficient working structure and environment will be included in the agenda of collective bargaining.

      In regard to the reformation of labor union's organization & management the underlying purposes of the new labor policy are to weaken the power of total labor union of the grass roots and to contro1 workers in an effective way centering around the National Federation. On the other hand, propagating cooperation between management and labor on a large scale, the aim of the new policy is to reinforce management's ruling power over labor.

      We looked into the essence and characteristics of the new labor policy from the point of view of three aspects and now in the fo11owing we will 100k into how the new labor policy is concretely actualized in the workplace.

  2. Controlling the total wage increase at 3% and the resulting wage system

    It is the system of calculating the wage percentage increase on the total wage that workers are in great reaction against. Beginning enforcement from 1992, it focused on wage control and gradually has been turning its purpose to implementation of 'result wage system'.

    It started to be apparent as companies which enforced 5% wage control last year has begun to make payment on the result of labor in the shape of year end bonuses to pacify workers.

    Adopting the limit wage control line of 3% this year (within 5% inclusive of pay steps), the government intended to enforce a wage control policy. However, the government took a step backward to accretion degree as a result of a meeting with economic leaders of 5 organizations last Jan. 12 where it was claimed that total wage system has produced 1ots or ill effects. Accordingly it was suggested that wage raise should be negotiated this year through free bargaining between labor and management.

    The government announced its position that it would force government-run agencies to raise wages within 3% at the tota1 wage but a110w private business sectors to resolve the wage-related matters in the future through negotiations between labor management and government.

    No doubt private employers will not give up wage control policy. Then what made them object to the enforcement of a wage policy of 3% raise on total wage and moreover, what brought the government to accept their proposal? Judging that the force of labor unions has been weakened and the ideology of wage control has been accepted in a reasonable way, the employers came to be confident or achieving control or of freezing of wages.

    More basically, the total wage system is a certain obstacle to the introduction of result-wage system and a pay system according to functions & duties which are wage structures of wage directly relating to the increase of productivity

    Not only to clarify a wage control policy but also to minimize workers' objections, the government has the intention of taking sanctions to put management negotiation ahead of physical violence. At the same time, they also intend to convert present wage system to a result-wage system which aims to distribute profits to workers in accordance with productivity increase.

    Under the veiled excuse that result wage system will pay in proportion to ability, the principle or wages based on our living cost is completely denied and converted into payment according to functions & duties or payment by quata or products produced.

    Consequently, the result-wage system will convert a collective relation of labor and management into an individual relation of the two. Companies will decide wages & promotion of workers on their evaluation of the individual workers ability to execute his/ her duty.

    Such a method of wage calculation not only reinforces the intensity of labor but also gives rise to excessive mutual competition among workers through which firm bonds of workers' unity will be destroyed and the absolute ruling power of management over workers will be secured.

    At present large monopoly factories are examining the introduction of payment according to functions & duties. There are various types or result-wage system such as reward system or flexible bonus system which is today's replacement for the quata system. Accordingly this year's struggle for wage raise will develop into: 1) An aggressive objection to the introduction of result -wage system for the reason of security for the basic cost of living and 2) to blocking of 3% wage control.

  3. (Case example) Labor union of Seoul Engine Bearing:
    Complete abolition of result-wage system through united struggle

    In order to solve the problem of low productivity which was causing the company to face many difficulties, the president of Seoul Engine Bearing in Kuro 3 industrial complex had a meeting with the chief workers. There he announced his plan to execute a semi-president system after judging that the company's poor situation was caused by workers' negligence and excessive demands of labor unions.

    The labor union was into opposition to the system. However, most of unionists wondered why it should be opposed since it said workers could gain as much as they worked.

    Therefore. the unions investigated companies which had carried out the system. Through the investigation was disclosed that the majority or the companies carrying out this system are in financial difficulties. At initial stage it seemed to yield fruits but as time went by resulted only in increasing the intensity of labor the final result was a break up of the labor unions. For these reasons the union made its strong objection against the system.

    At the same time the union leaders worked to strengthen the unity of workers through many kind of campaigns such as greetings to one another when coming to work wearing lapel ribbons or headbands, lunchtime meeting at the work site, Jockoo(a sort of soft footbal1) events for the purpose of refusing overtime work and abolition of the semi-president system. As a result of this unity building activity, the union members decided to return the extra money they received through evaluation of their productivity. With that the semi-president system & promotion system that went with it, both disappeared workers never again.

    But the company decided to institute the semi-president system for the Apyunban section. ( the work of the Apyunban is so rough and hard that this section has a frequent turn- over of workers. ) The union made clear its objection to this decision on principle and countered that labor union officers would by turns, work in the section that was short of workers.

    However, the solution did not work so the company decided to institute the semi-president system temporarily for the year of 1992. In the first 3 months production went up 41% and consequently workers pay went up 45% so the company announced that as of April, 1992 the system of pay according to efficiency would definitely be instituted.

    Although the union was involved in matters like wage struggle, collective bargaining and reinstatement of the union committee leader, they suggested settling this matters first and get to negotiation afterwards.

    So they formed small units and made a survey about pay based on efficiency and did case researches. In addition, they had educators explain wage system to the workers and exposed the company's intention to evade the struggle points of the wage raise, collective bargaining, reinstatement of workers to their original positions. to dissolve the labor union and to incapacitate the labor union in the long run the labor union claimed that increase of production without investment in production & facilities was only for the company to obtain profits through increasing the labor intensity and lengthening the labor time. It also claimed that in distribution of the profits of production it was quite possible for the company to exploit the workers' surplus efforts.

    In addition they explained that it was very difficult to set up standard that would fairly judge the differences in amount of work, degree of skill & work strength according to sex and age. In view of the company's complaint of workers poor attitude and negligence, the union urged workers to improve reduction by keeping good working hours and a good attitude.

    However, in last August of 1992 when the struggles for wage raise, revision of collective bargaining and reinstatement came to an end, on the persistent demand of the company, it was agreed to institute the pay for efficiency separately according to sections.

    However, this brought about a difference between sections and gave rise to conflicts between them. Therefore, recognizing that the conflicts between union members would break up the union, the labor union made a strong case for establishing a unified efficiency pay through the whole company Nevertheless the system was finally abolished since it turned out to be ineffectual and it was difficult to apply the system uniformly due to the difference of product quantity and the specialty of work.

    What brought the victory against the Semi-president system and pay for efficiency was attributed to the leaders' thorough preparation and the method of their appeal to the masses along with the company's attitude not to force their plans into effect.

    Above a11, the victory was due to the intimacy and unity among unionists and unionists' trust in leaders which has been formed through many years of struggles.

  4. Estimating l00,000 unemployed without any alternate plan

    Long term economy stagnation caused about 10,000 small or medium sized companies to shut down or give up their business this has forced a lot of workers out of their jobs into the streets. As the sluggish economy is expected to become even more severe this year, it is inevitable that management will increase the cut backs in personnel in order to achieve rationalization and survive the recession.

    No less than l0,000 unemployed are feared to be the result to. In addition, the introduction of semi-president system from last year has led many companies to curtail regular workers on a large scale and to replace them with temporary workers or dispatched workers. For these reasons employment status of workers is expected to become more insecure in the future.

    However, government's new labor policy has no fundamental alternate plan at all to resolve the insecurity of employment caused by rationalization of management though it has a partial labor principle of introducing workers for reemployment and making the personnel supply & demand run smoothly.

    Through such a gap in the new labor policy, the matter of employment insecurity is rapidly getting worse. One of the worst cases is a whirlwind of personnel slashes which spread over from large to small or medium sized companies.

    The cases of worker reduction in Samhyungsa or Kuro industry complex, Taelim electronics and Jindo show how serious the slash was. To overcome the slowdown of imports, Samhyungsa, a manufacturing company ol mode1 trains reduced their maximum number of 60O workers down to lOO and Taelim electronics which was considering conversion of their business structure cut about 400 personals down to 1OO.

    Jindo which at one time employed no less than l0OO people turned a part of their production lines to subcontracting and entered into a continuous personnel slash, now centering their management personals of about 100 at the head offfice.

    Seil heavy industry of Changwon industry complex also reduced 814 or 25% of the total employees this gave rise to workers' anger particularly because it was ex-union officers or enthusiastic union members who were fired in the company.

    The dismissal was interpreted not as a simple slash but as oppression for the purpose of paralyzing the wage raise struggle which had powerfully spread over Masan-Changwon regions.

    In this way the matter of employment insecurity brings about not only high unemployment due to personnel reduction but also enforcement of labor intensity and neutralization or labor unions by enlarging outside orders, subcontracting, semi-president system and production line partition

  5. The case of Samsung pharmaceutical company labor union
    Energetic cry for opposition t0 dispatched labor and indefense of labor unions

    The labor union of Samsung pharmaceutical company which was founded in 1975 has concluded a collective bargaining agreement which guarantees breast feeding time, pre & post maternity leave and so on.

    Through these activities the union kept on striving to insure life time employment for workers. This union is one of the most solidly-organized bodies. for his reason the establishment of a day care center in the work place became an urgent task.

    While the labor union continued to strengthen its organization in order to insecure life time employment for women, they faced new difficulties. The company was transferred and began to employ dispatched labor.

    During this time the company diminished its production lines through automation of manufacturing and didn't hire any new employees so that natural diminution of workers clearly came into view.

    Meanwhile in August of l992 the company moved from Seoul to Banwo1, a pharmaceutical industry complex. In reaction to this, the labor union entered into negotiation as a result of which compensation for 3 months of 50,000 won per month was paid to the workers and a commuting bus was provided for them.

    Despite this result only 57 of the 90 union members could take jobs in the new work place. But the next problem met by the workers was an undisguised oppression of the labor union in the form or dispatched labor. In the of factories there were 30 dispatched workers replacing the duties of unionists before the transferred unionists came to work.

    The company kept the unionists from the work sites and made them pluck out weeds and get 7 days of work training which they had already had. Since the unionists couldn't endure it. they attempted to attend their own work sites and at last they were able to retake their own jobs.

    The problem was that the dispatched laborers increased to 1OO, whereas unionists gradually decreased in number. Despite the fact that the company had to make additional payments to the workers dispatching companies of 50,000 per workers monthly, the company went on substituting dispatched workers for the decreasing union members. This fact shows that the company's underlying motive was to make the labor union powerless through a diminution of unionists.

    Consequently the labor union staged a struggle demanding that the company absorbing dispatched workers as regular workers. The company claimed that management had the right to do this. In addition the company converted the dispatched labor to subcontracted workers.

    In the long run the labor union of Samsung pharmaceutical company recognized that to do a more powerful struggle against dispatched labor would be the only way to maintain the union. Therefore, the union along with the remaining 47 unionists made a protest visit to Labor Affairs Ministry and staged a demonstration at the industry complex.

    In addition they have also carried out various other struggle activities such as gathering in the playground of the factory every breakfast, 1unch and supper time to sing and shout out slogans and such type of small demonstrations.

  6. The offensive for public opinion, 'sharing pains' means another cooperation between labor and management.

    In the last presidential election, the candidate Kim Young Sam stated that the frequent desperate dispute between labor and management was one of the Korean chronic diseases and asked that labor and management make a truce for the stable advancement of the economy.

    Of course it has been a long standing issue that management and government assumed the ideological offensive in order to oppress the workers' right to a living and the right to independent solidarity. It started from an assertion that wage rises cause price instability and damage to companies' financial situation.

    From late 1989 a cry that 'workers are responsibility for the economic crisis ' was raised claiming that excessive wage rises brought about a weakening of the international competitiveness of the economy.

    Last year 'A campaign for 30 more minutes or work' was widespread, blaming the workers for laziness. However, the President Kim Yung Sam has assumed the ideological offensive and turned it into a campaign for voluntarily harder work, drawing out the consent and agreement of workers.

    This is the very theory or labor and management companionship or theory of sharing pains advocated by him for the purpose of increasing of productivity. p Then what is the contents of the ideological offensive launched by President Kim Young Sam called 'sharing pains'? As mentioned before, although the new labor policy has been developed to break through the crisis of the Korean economy by increasing of labor productivity, the core or the policy is 1) to revise the structure of working which brings the intensity or labor and insecurity of employment to the maximum, 2) to introduce a result wage system which enforces competitiveness among laborers and breaks down the class solidarity of workers and 3) to change the organizing system of labor unions which will divide the workers while building up cooperation between labor and management, the ideological offensive of management and government can be a formidable weapon used to draw out workers' consent and agreement with a minimal resistance from workers.

    This is particularly true when a large-scaled ideologic offensive precedes the forced execution of such a new labor policy. The resulting wage system supported by this ideology is beautified to illustrate that the increased profit from labor productivity would be distributed to workers.

    The revision of working structure is shown as an attempt to humanize labor, avoiding alienation of labor caused by repetition simple in using advanced machines.

    Although the semi-president system leads to insecurity of employment and makes workers unity essentially impossible, it is wrapped in hope "I can be a president of a company" or "We workers will be rewarded as much as we work". For these reasons, the motto 'cooperation between labor and management' can easily influence workers, giving them a rosy hope.

    Actually 'sharing pains' is really no different from "1abour responsibility for the economy crisis". But it is a more solid and well-polished offensive because it is presented to the workers with a more over all friendly appearance.

  7. Clearing up the depressed atmosphere and Developing positive struggle for security of employment and increase of wage

    Government and management take a rosy view that on account of increasing sympathy for the difficulties of our economy and the maturity of labor awareness, the stable relation between labor and management wi11 continue, They also acknowledge that the labor struggle will be potentially heated by: 1) employment insecurity due to control of recruiting new workers and reduction management: 2) wage raise expectations according to the hikes of public tariffs such as bus fare; and 3) the introduction of total wage policy and result wage principle.

    They planed to handle the labor struggle with a bilateral policy of mediation and oppression to achieve stable relations between labor and management.

    Since government wishes to secure the political situation around in the auguration of President Kim Young-Sam and pave the way for the new labor policy through large-scaled pub1icity, it is attempting to create an atmosphere in which management of the businesses leads negotiations over wage raise and general working conditions.

    As a result it is expected that disputes between labor and management will be heated. With the support of the government's ideological attack, management are apt to move to neutralize the labor unions and to threaten the living rights of workers by applying varied working time, introducing the semi-president system, firing, slashing workers and hiring part time workers on a large scale even prior to entering the struggle for wage hikes.

    They also intend to carry through the policy of wage control and result-wage, taking advantage of the new government policy and using it as a threatening method.

    Accordingly there is an urgent needs to strengthen the organizing power of labor unions for an effective response to the management oppression. To fortify the organizing power of labor unions it is necessary to broaden the activities of unions by a positive approach to non-unionists, part time workers and strengthen those unions lacking in organizing power in addition the preparations for the struggle should be made as follows.

    First, workers should call for guarantee of actual wage based on the cost or living as opposed to wage control policy; a rational wage system based on a seniority principle of increasing salary according to age or years of service, or equal pay for equal work, as opposed to wages based on efficiency or duties.

    Further the workers should demand a salary increment scheme that dose not discriminate according to educational leve1, type of work or sex.

    Secondly, workers should take part in the struggle to establish legal and institutiona1 measures such as a law on employment security; to institute as soon as possible unemployment insurance and workers participation in management.

    This has to be preceded by a raising of the workers awareness and understanding of the social and policy background which is the cause of unemployment. It is necessary to provide that such actions as subcontract partition, transfer, shut down or closing to the company should be decided through collective bargaining.

    In the case of a company's partition, merger or absorption by another company, the continuity of workers employment and labor union recognition should be guaranteed under the new management.

    Thirdly, even though the mass media has been dominated by government and management, workers should strive to publicize the justness of their struggle. More important they should make it clear that the economic crisis has not been caused by the wage raise of workers but to the inevitable result of deepening subordination of the Korean economy to advanced capitalism and our monopolistic capital-oriented economy.

    The struggle for the right to live should run parallel with a demand for economic democracy including independence of the Korean economy, obligation of using real name financial accounting system and rigid control of Chabol ( monopolistic business group) to prevent the concentration of economic power.

    In particular workers should make the public aware of the fact that workers are one of the most important powers for the achievement of social democracy.

    Because this is the time when government and business want to change the labor law in order to institute the new labor policy, this year's wage struggle will have an effect on public opinion and consequently will be a critical factor in deciding whether the law will be revised or not.

    Recognizing that price hikes in addition to employment insecurity interferes with to price hikes has oppressed the labor's right to a living, workers should determine to break down the policy of wage restriction.

    The wage raise struggle will be an important one together with the struggle for employment security. Since the struggle to block the amendment of labor policy is a reaction to the united front formed by all the capitalists the struggle of workers should be supported by nation-wide solidarity and cohesion.

    At an event of workers last year, we, workers cried out in one voice the mottoes: "set-up of labor unions should be industry-based" and for 'establishment of a Democratic Laour Union Federation'. However, our labor unions have had a lot of difficulty to bring the mottoes to reality.

    If industry-based unions and regional federations develop effective campaigns to achieve employment security and defeat the total wage principle with the support or workers unity and solidarity, the industry-based unions and the National Democratic Federation will become reality.

    Although suffering many difficulties, the labor union of Dongyang Elevator in Buchon has developed a campaign to which we wish to convey our spirit of solidarity. In addition, we will clear up the atmosphere of depression and defeat in our labor unions, work places an small groups and we will develop the struggles for the '93 wage hikes with total energy in solidarity.


Korea Working Women's Network 1997
Posted by KWWA
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Working Women Vol.1

June, 1993

In 1993, we wish that all working women make smile brightly.


    Feature
    New Labor Policy and Our Countermeasures
    The reality situation and counterplan of dispatched labor
    This is the way to make a democratic family

    Women's Movement
    Looking back over the women's movement in the year 1992

    Voice from the women workers
    85th Anniversary on March 8 Int'l Women's Day
    Securing lifetime employment through abolition of women bank employee system
    Union members and farnilies becoming one and making sure to win

    Bit of news on women workers Associations
    Korean women workers Association United
    Seoul women workers Association
    Inchon women workers Association
    Machang women workers Association
    Bucheon women workers Association
    Busan women workers Association
    Kwangjoo women workers Association

    Poem
    A Time to Break Kdwn, And a time to build up


Posted by KWWA
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