<Filing a cancelation suit against ‘the government’s decision of grant suspension’>

<Launching “Win-Win Women’s Action to save common people and save jobs”>

On June 15, 2009 nationwide women who worry about their jobs, education and prices of commodities, launched “Win-Win Women’s Action to save common people and save jobs” (Win-Win Women’s Action) ‘to create society without the three worries about the above.’  Not only the total number of 49 women and labor organizations (as of June 15, 2009) but also almost all KWWA’s regional organization activists also joined the inauguration. 

Opening address was made by Nam-Yoon Insoon, standing chairperson of KWTU, like “We don’t need any more deaths. We are here to live and to give a life to those going to starve relatively” and followed by speeches by the persons involved including a woman in her 20s who suffers from her university tuition fee, parents squeezed dry due to education issues of their children, a woman single parent who are worrying about her monthly rent, struggling 88CC women workers, and dismissed women workers in struggles against the national highway.  Whenever the people involved made addresses, the audience cheered them up giving warm supports.

<"Worthy happiness of US$1 " – Let’s  raise the minimum wage at the rate of 1,000 won an hour!>

On May 21, 2009, “Win-win Women’s Action to save common people and save jobs” (consisting of KWWA, KWTU, FKTU, Korean Womenlink, and KWAU) organized a campaign, “Worthy happiness of US$1”: Let’s raise the minimum wage by the rate of 1,000 won (=equal to US$1) an hour.

This campaign was started with the minimum wage songs whose words were changed from labor songs, followed by the opening address done by Kim Insook, the co-chairperson of Korean Womenlink and speeches by KWTU’s rank and file members.

Presently, the minimum wage an hour is 4,000 won, with which workers cannot have proper meal at canteens or restaurants nor afford the price of medicine or doctor’s fee. This reality of workers was performed dynamically.

<In the economic crisis, whose jobs have been decreased: hosting the 3^rd policy workshop on searching for women’s employment welfare strategies>

On May 14, 2009, the 3^rd policy workshop on searching for women’s employment welfare strategies was held.  On the theme of the current economic crisis and situation and task of women’s unemployment, Dr. Yoon Ja-young (belonging to Korea Labor Institute) made the first presentation, and Dr. Kim Kyung-hee (belonging to Korean Women’s Development Institute) gave a lecture on the title of ‘needs of the application of gender effect evaluation and policy cases.’

The first presentation looked at the situation of women’s unemployment through the current statistics: whose jobs have been decreasing, and what classes and social groups have been affected the most in the current economic crisis since September 2008.  As a result of the analysis, the decreases in employment are serious especially for women, those in their 30s, self-employers and temporary or day workers, those working in the manufacturing sector and whole and retail industries, and workers in the very small-size establishments, and it was recommended to urgently prepare for unemployment safety net measures and job countermeasures.

Next, Dr. Kim Kyung-hee explained gender effect evaluation and the situation of gender-sensitive system as part of strategies of gender mainstream.  She pointed out the poor reality in which the ineffective evaluation cannot contribute to the gender equality.

So far, we have hosted three policy workshops on searching for women’s employment welfare strategies. The presentation and discussions will be socially raised in the ‘Alternative job creation conference for unemployed women to overcome the current economic crisis.’ We wish for your high concern and participation.  We should be grateful to the activists and presenters involved in these discussions.  Thanks a lot!!

<What are women’s labor models: hosting 2^nd policy workshop on searching for women’s employment welfare strategies>

The 2^nd policy workshop on searching for women’s employment welfare strategies was held to overcome the current economic crisis. On the theme “What are women’s labor models” the first presentation was made by Dr. Eun Soo-mi, and in the second presentation the necessity for job creation in the care service such as childcare, education and care assistance and nursing was addressed to seek for alternatives of women’s jobs.

Above all, Dr. Eun Soo-mi pointed out the repeated crisis of women’s labor whenever economic crisis occurs, and particularly, she stressed it would be a more serious problem that women’s labor is not seen, although it exists because the recent women workers seem to be unheard.  She made two suggestions to tackle the problem: firstly, women’s labor issues should be treated as social discourses but through ‘exposing women’s issues in the market’ not through any shock treatment such as accidents or incidents. For example, women’s social indexes should be published every year, and women’s employment related large-scale symposiums should be held; and secondly, the solidarity for organizing women should be considered.

To overcome the economic crisis women’s labor model should be dealt with in two perspectives: firstly, the quality of job should be improved; and secondly, she also emphasized that the scope of employment issues should be expanded from employees to workers, and workers should be protected at least in one of the following three labor structures: firstly, basic social protection for workers, secondly, protection through the management-and-labor relationship, and lastly, discrimination preventions at the national level to realize ‘no protections no jobs.’

In the second section, there were three presentations: the first presentation on the theme of the protection of poor children, and issues of education and jobs was made by Choi Sun-sook, another presentation on the title of the situation of care service, characteristics and job creation by Mo Se-jong, and the last on the theme of the protection and education of children and jobs by Lim Youn-ok, head of policy making bureau, KWWA. ‘Overwhelming short-term jobs’ was addressed a lot in the job creation issue. Although jobs in the care service sector should be continued and secure, the present government offers short-term jobs, which is not helpful to workers nor service receivers or organizations, because short-term jobs accumulate paper works.  Therefore, the presenters emphasized the short-term job creation policy should be changed to long-term sustainable jobs which satisfy service providers and receivers, both.

<People’s Rally: in celebration of 119^th May Day>

Women activists and members belonging to KWWA and its regional branches in the Seoul metropolitan area took part in the International May Day rally.  In the rally, 10 demands by the labor movement were made under the flag of ‘Let’s weave hopeful prospects on public welfare and democracy based on strong solidarity!’

□ People’s rally to restore public welfare, heighten democracy and judge MB regime:

- Date: May 1^st, 2009, at 3pm

- Venue: rallies in the Seoul metropolitan area:  Yeoido Park, and other regions simultaneously (North Choongchung, South Choongchung, North Jeolla, South Jeolla, North Kyeongsang, South Kyeongsang provinces)

□ Keynote of the rally:

 Let’s weave hopeful prospects on public welfare and democracy based on strong solidarity!’

- to form solidarity amongst all kinds and layers of workers such as regular, irregular, and unemployed workers, reserve workers, and dismissed workers.

- to actualize the solidarity between workers and students to overcome 10 year gaps (declaration of overnight indignation rally between May 1^st~2^nd, by Korea Students Association)

- to carry out nationwide simultaneous struggles (in Seoul, Kyeonggi province, Incheon, Kangwon and other regions at the same time)

<10 demands>

①      Stop the transferring of its responsibility to workers and ordinary people, reduction in taxes for the rich, forced nationwide channel, and allocation of budget for construction companies; and fulfill policies for workers and people immediately!

②      Stop immediately one-side industrial restructuring and dismissals, wage reduction of university graduates and the social weaker, and the suffering from extremely hard living of workers and ordinary people; and establish unemployment and social safety nets including the entire improvement of the employment insurance, the national basic livelihood security system, the urgent welfare support system!

③      Ensure the right to work, sharing jobs through decreasing working hours, and creating more than one million jobs centered by social service jobs in the public sector!

④      Take drastic steps for boosting people’s livelihood such as the realization of halving tuition fees, comprehensively increasing free education, free lunch and free childcare, expansion of medical insurance, comprehensive increase and expansion of free medical checkups, and housing welfare!

⑤      Stop the ratification in the National Assembly, of FTA between the U.S. and Korea driving Korean farmers’ livelihood and agriculture extremely hard; realize and defend food sovereignty through protecting the right for Korean farmers to survive and solving debts of farmers in the right ways of reforming farmers’ cooperatives that warmers demand; and stop the forced large-scale modernization in the agricultural and fishery industry driving poor farmers out!

⑥      Stop immediately the retrogressive revision of the Temporary Employee Protection Act and the Minimum Wage Act; support the regularization of irregular workers; and realize the minimum wage system!

⑦      Protect the basic labor rights including those for specially hired workers; and stop the suppression on the democratic labor movement!

⑧      Stop terrible one-side and top-down redevelopment; and immediately solve the Yongsan disaster, investigating the truth of the disaster and punishing people in charge!

⑨      Stop abolishing retrogressive bills suppressing civilians and netizens, and democracy and human rights!

⑩      Stop the attempts to participate in PSI which will increase tension in the Korean Peninsula; and find the comprehensive ways to resume communication and cooperation with North Korea as well as fulfilling the 6.15 declaration and the 10.4 declaration.

<Another attempt to react to the current economic crisis: holding 1st workshop on searching for social economic activation strategies based on reciprocity and solidarity>  

On April 21, 2009, the KWWA hosted the 1^st workshop on searching for social economic activation strategies based on reciprocity and solidarity.  The workshop was to check our social economic activities by section, including social jobs, social enterprises, National Cooperative of House Managers (NCHM), community coin activities, and to search for future directions of our social economy.

The first topic for discussion was ‘the labor movement and green community economy’, which was presented by Park Seung-ok, ex-chairperson of the Citizen Power.  As soon as his lecture started, he made aware of the importance of saving energy, asking us to turn the light at the back of the lecture room. The speaker stressed that we have limited usable energy, because energy is generated mostly by atomic power and fossil fuel such as atomic power, petroleum, coal, and gas.  Especially, in a near future, petroleum will be exhausted; and even though alternative energy is developed, it is not sustainable because it is generated from the nature.  Since it is evitable for energy to bring about the food crisis (Think about the production of a variety of agricultural machines, and petroleum used in diverse agricultural production), the current economy exhausting energy from the nature is not sustainable. Accordingly, he insisted on the importance of local community, especially community-based economy and green economy, based on but reciprocity and cooperation on not profitability.

On the second topic entitled ‘norms of social economy and movement tasks’ Jang Won-bong, an adjunct professor of SungKongHoe University delivered a lecture.  The instructor asked a question if a social enterprise is a choice, when a social enterprise cannot be an alternative economy. Social enterprises should be run based on the 3^rd sector of the civil society based on reciprocity and cooperation, but currently social enterprises focus on the 2^nd sector including the creation of better income structure and the reinforcement of market competition, due to the pressure from the market.  Therefore, in order to boost up social economy such as social enterprises and cooperatives and to find a way toward the civil society, he emphasized the necessity of studies and rehabilitation training in order not to follow systematic assimilation to the market in conformity with the government’s measures.

The social economic activation strategy study team completed the 1^st workshop, and decided to carry out learning and discussion, both, from now on after completing regional concerns for social economy and making a list of topics for discussion.