<Press conference regarding the evaluation on 1 year women’s policies by Lee Myeong Bak government>
 


On February 18, 2009, a press conference was staged regarding the evaluation on women’s policies by Lee Myeong Bak government for the past one year.  In a word, the current government ‘failed’. Evaluators by sector saw the women’s policies by the current administration as “loss of gender equal policies,’ “absence from the awareness of women’s human rights and gender sensitive governance,’ ‘retreat of family and childcare policies,’ ‘nominal job creation for women.’ Many women veteran activists such as Kwon Mi-hyuk, chairperson of the Korean Womenlink, Nam-Yoon Insoon,  the KWAU, Jeong Moon Ja, chairperson of the KWWA, Jeong Choonsook, chairperson of the Korea Women’s Hot Line, Lee Yoon-sang, chairperson of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, Han Kook-yeom, chairperson of Women Migrants Human Rights Center, and Jang Myeongsook, chairperson of Differently Able Women United, participated in the major evaluation session.

1. Major policy tasks for women are as follows:
Since the current government was launched, Worries have been raised that the Korean democracy and human rights are absent, and violence and discrimination by the government are also far more serious. In addition, the communication and cooperation with the civil society have reached not only the level of cessation but also that of suppression, surveillance and split. Under these social circumstances, the recent heavy crimes have showed the worsening discrimination and violence against the social weak such as women and the disabled. Amidst the economic crisis in which things are tough and there are no emotional rooms, the government should take more care of human rights, providing social security for the social weak.
① The consolidation of the Ministry of Women and the enactment of gender equality basic law;
② The establishment of public childcare policies whose responsibility was taken by the government;
③ The establishment of comprehensive family policies in combination of gender issues and family issues;
④ The establishment of comprehensive countermeasures against low birth rates;
⑤ 500,000 decent job creation for women;
⑥ Stop the retrogressive revision of Temporary Employee Protection Act and regularize women irregular workers in the public sector;
⑦ The establishment of long and short term schemes for the prevention of domestic violence and protection of victims;
⑧ The provision of long-term gender sensitive women’s policies to prevent violence against women and support women victims;
⑨ Criminal law reform (in terms of violation of sex self-determination, abolishment of offense subject to complaints, and suspension or extension of statute of limitations) 
⑩ The consolidation of execution of the law controlling sex agencies;
⑪ The prevention of the commercialization of women and violation of women’s human rights in the course of their inflows through international marriage;
⑫ The establishment of human right-oriented and gender-sensitive and diversity-based policies rather than social integration based on family;
⑬ The provision of life-long education for disabled women
⑭ Re-adjustment of uneven budgets and policies

2. The evaluation and tasks regarding women workers’ policies are as follows:
<Overall evaluation>
1) The Lee Myeong Bak administration declared to create 500,000 women-tailored jobs and set up ‘New Occupation for Women Centers (Now Centers)’  for women whose careers are discontinued as women’s labor policies, and to create family friendly enterprises as its grand scheme. However, no women’s labor policies were fulfilled except the establishment of 3 model NOW Centers and appointment of the 50 centers.
2) Women’s job policies in the social service sector are fulfilled in the form of vouchers to promote market principle-oriented competition in the social service sector, and in particular, because different ministries are in charge, the administration does not seize how many women’s jobs are there in the social service sector.
3) Although the current administration claims to protect vulnerable classes and irregular workers, it forces workers to take the economic burdens to tackle the current economic crisis.  Most of women are low wage irregular workers. The administration tries to reduce incomes of irregular workers and change for the worse of the duration of irregular periods.
4) The administration suggested making family friendly enterprises as its public pledges and grand schemes through balancing women’s jobs and family, but the related ministries such as the Ministry of Women and the Ministry of Labor do not have such plans nor carry out them.  We doubt if the administration will help both of men and women to balance their jobs and families: work together and take care of their families together.

<Policy demands>
1) 500,000 decent job creation for women:
Because two thirds of the workers in the social service sector are regarded as women, decent jobs should be created in the social service sector.  The administration should fulfill its public pledges.  They include the provision of standard wages (annual 20 million won, which accounts for 60% of average wages of the whole workers), the application of the labor law and 4 social insurances, the provision of training opportunities, and public spirited social service, and 500,000 job creation for women in the social service sector.
2) Stop the retrogressive revision of the Temporary Employee Protection Act and regularize women irregular workers in the public sector:
The government and the Grand National Party try to transfer to the Temporary Employee Protection Act, the responsibility for worsening employment due to the current economic crisis. Their attempt to extend the duration in which workers have to work as irregular workers from 2 years to 4 years is to produce only 4 year term irregular workers.

The size and treatment of women irregular workers in the public sector are determined unreasonably in accordance with the governmental small budget. Taking the circumstance into consideration, the government should proclaim its scheme to regularize irregular workers from the public sector to improve gender equality.
3) Creating social atmosphere for women to balance their jobs and lives:
There has been an increase in dismissals and disadvantages to women due to their pregnancy and childbirth amidst the current economic crisis (In 2008, according to counseling by KWWA, these disadvantages rose by 34% compared to 2007.)  We demand the administration to stop dismissals and disadvantages due to women’s pregnancy and childbirth, and the supervision should be reinforced; to stop the cancellation of contracts when irregular women workers take maternity leave; and to provide the right to remunerate women for maternity leaves if their contracts were terminated during their maternity leaves. The government should view this as extending women’s contracts; and we also demand the government to improve insurance subscription rates for low incomers (including very small size self-employers, specially hired workers, and care workers in the informal sector) through encouraging social insurances.

4) Withdrawing the retrogressive revision of the minimum wage and realizing living wages
The government should provide living wages for workers who work hard to overcome the current economic crisis.  It should provide living wages for women workers through increasing the minimum wage up to the level 50% of average wages of all workers, in order to upgrade women workers’ power of purchase and boost the domestic market.

<5th meeting of NCHM regular representatives>

National Cooperative of House Managers (NCHM) provided a springboard for its development through changing its structure and appointing new executives. 

The meeting of representatives was held on February 14, 2009, on Saturday, in which about 69 representatives and observers took part.  In the meeting, the NCHM selected Cho Mi-kyung (chairperson of Incheon branch) and Kim Kyung-hee (the current chairperson) as co-chairpersons for the 3rd term, and Yoon He-ryeon (the current auditor) and Choi Jeom-ok (chairperson of Pusan branch) as co-auditors.  In addition, a big structure change was made: individual members can be upgraded to branches from members.  This structural change aims for strengthening branches in local communities and empowering individual members, while consolidating the role of branches.

On that day, each branch had performances before the meeting was held.  Members had a very good time and brightened the atmosphere for the meeting of representatives, preparing performances together.  In the contest, the Daegu branch whose members danced in pink, using colorful artificial flowers, came to the first prize.

At the close of the meeting, firm resolutions were delivered by newly appointed branch heads.

<Inauguration speech by the new chairperson> 



I am very glad to make this speech.  I am the new chairperson of the KWWA, Jeong Moon Ja. 

Today, the Korean society has faced political, economical and social crises.  To tackle and overcome these crises, KWWA will take the following actions under the flag of the construction of communities of equality and peace promoting precious life values based on the vital powers of working women,’ as KWWA’s vision: 1. We will focus on the consolidation of capacities of our members and activists through the organization suitable for a variety of circumstances and conditions of women; 2. We will fight against the retrogressive regulations and laws worsening the livelihood of women workers and poor women, and demand to provide appropriate policies to this current economic crisis; 3. We will wage alternative women workers’ movement for women workers to create happy lives in spite of consuming less—constructing social economic communities, and activating community money campaigns.

Jeong Moon Ja
Chairperson
KWWA

<We are sad, sad and  sad (at the spot of the Yongsan disaster)>

On January 22, 2009, ‘Women feeling sad and angry at the Yongsan disaster’ had a memorial service to pray for the happiness of the victims in other world at the spot where people burnt incenses and bowed twice (to look back the deceased with affection). Because they could get news only through mass media for the last 3 days, 30 women or so were so desperate and outraged that they dashed to the spot with one breath.

We are sad, sad and sad…. We are those who are gathered to mourn and memorize the victims of the Yongsan fire disaster.

One lady living in Ssangmoon-dong (more than one hour away) said “When I went to market, I was so surprised at the news that I dashed to here. It is nonsense to use severe violence against those who are marginalized,” shedding and wiping tears. A woman labor activist, Hahn Myeonghee demanded to dismiss and arrest the designate Police chief, Kim Seokki, saying “the police killed innocent civilians four times: Since the police did not provide proper demolition they kill the innocent people once; since the police took irrational repressive measures, they kill them twice; since the police took their body away, they killed them three times; since the police performed autopsies on the innocent people without any agreement from their family, they killed them four times.”

A chairperson of Korean Women’s Associations United (KWAU), Park Young-mi asked strongly “The government said that even one rich person should not be victimized due to the comprehensive real estate taxes, but is it okay to ignore the rights of lessees and kill them?” and claimed “unbiased and impartial people should form a new fact-finding committee, because we can’t trust the investigation by Korean prosecutors.”

In the memorial service they placed white chrysanthemums and recite a poem to mourn this tragedy, and they also offered their condolences to the family of the victims. 

‘Women angry over the Yongsan fire disaster’ consists of KWTU, Korean Womenlink, KWWA, Women Making Peace, and female civilians.

<We are sad, sad, sad.>

Heart-breaking sadness and rage led us to here.

Our neighbors expelled

Under the bright neon slogan of ‘New town redevelopment’,

The world finally killed them, leaving them as wretched dead bodies.

In this society, our hard-working neighbors driven out and killed.

On the eve of a national festival,

While people happily filed off to see their families,

Our slaughtered neighbors cannot meet theirs.

Government power denies the freedom to mourn.

In what era are we now?

Because those who have too much

Neglect those who have nothing,

The world now faces economic crisis.

Under policies and systems that distribute resources unfairly,

We now learn that nobody can lead a happy life.

Now leaders of every country have tried to make policies for the marginalized

And attempted to breed hope through social integration,

What does the Korean government do for people?

Can it kill common people, and tread all over them,

To protect the property rights of those who have too much?

Icicles formed on discarded pipes

Show the shadows of fear among the evicted, attacked at the crack of dawn.

They make us so sad and frustrated.

What are the police trying to hide?

Why have they sealed off the spot?

And why did they try to perform autopsies without notifying families…?

Dead men tell no tales, so the saying goes.

The mean, immoral government tries to shirk its responsibility to the victims.

If they are truly human,

If they are warm hearted,

They cannot do this.

The people!

Who scrambled to survive

But have fallen down again, cold in death,

Those victims, without a penny to their names!

Now,

Please take a good rest,

In a world without demolition

In a world without violence and poverty!

by Kim Mi-ran,                                   
KWAU

<Do you remember, 88CC? They have lit up the torch of their struggle.>

In 2008, 53 union members working at 88 Country Club (88CC) received unlimited job reservation, and 3 union executives fired.

In 2003, workers of 88CC finally renewed collective agreement after the 48 day struggle in the face of shop closure.

In 1999, golf caddies fought against and improved the retirement policy at age of 40.

In 1999, 88CC trade union branch of KWTU was established.

In June 2008, as soon as the regime was changed, the directors and the field manager of the 88 Country Club under the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs were changed, as well.  On October 10, the government decided to privatize the 88 Country Club as part of privatization of public corporations. In the course, women workers of 88 Country Club union branch belonging to the KWTU was recognized not as workers but as specially hired workers, suppressing the trade union.

• On August 8, the management collected all of the remote controls of golf carts using an excuse of security measure of the carts and forced workers to write pledges. 

• On September 9, although rules regarding caddies should be made through the agreement with the trade union, the management tried to change the rules unilaterally.

• On September 19, it is customary that the management agrees with the laborer in regard to personnel recruitment, the company made a top-down announcement of the recruitment of 20 people.  It declared that new human resources will be used to tame the trade union.

• On September 22, a customer lodged a protest to the president of the company against the rudeness of the field manager, but instead he imposed indefinite suspension on a golf caddies who had helped the game. In protest, union members conducted 3 hour picketing and wrote appeals on the homepage of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, and furthermore, the suspended union member undertook one person demonstration in front of the Ministry.  After all, on September 24, 2008, the company fired the union member using an excuse of defamation.

• On November 5 ~9, 35 unionists and on November 26, 16 union members received indefinite reservations, which actually means dismissals, using the excuse of defamation of the company.

• as of January 2009, the company imposed unlimited reservation on 53 unionists of 88 CC and fired 3 union executives.

The 88 CC union branch of the KWTU has taken a variety of legal action: especially, dismissed union members have had one person demonstration in front of the Ministry since November 10, 2008, and organized every Monday assembly since November 24. In addition, the 53 reserved union members and the 3 dismissed unionists dividing its members into several teams have played different roles: livelihood support team, assembly organizing team, and the team visiting the related authorities and assembly members.  Those unionists still working at the 88cc also have sent 2/5 of their wages as livelihood supports and been very busy writing appeals on the homepage of the Ministry.

KWWA also supported 88cc workers’ struggle joining the Monday assembly on January 12, 2009.

88CC workers’ struggle is so important that it is the past, present and future to the Korean women workers.  The workers show many realities of the Korean women workers like mirrors: specially hired women workers who are not recognized as workers; indirectly hired workers by outsourcing agencies, and the issue of guaranteeing job security of indirectly hired workers in the course of privatization.  Their victories are my victory and further the victories of the Korean women workers. I give big claps on them, hoping they can survive in this severely harsh period.

<KWWA’s 17^th General Assembly>

On Saturday, January 10, 2009 Korean Women Workers Association had the 17^th general assembly. About 100 nationwide activists gathered together.

Before the general assembly, a lecture on the political situation was delivered: An economic critic, Jung Tae-in gave a lecture on the topic of ‘the financial crisis in the USA and alternatives.’  He talked about the causes of the financial crisis triggered in the USA and the states of the international economical recession very easily.  The lecture was so lively and heated that activists asked a lot of questions after the lecture.

In this general assembly, KWWA’s new directors were appointed. Jeong Moon Ja (ex-chairperson of the IWWA) was selected as a new chairperson, Park Nam-hee (president of KWTU) and Kim Young-sook (chairperson of the DWWA) as vice chairpersons, and Joo Kyeong-mi (chairperson of the GWWA) and lawyer Choi Seong-ho as audits.

After that, a film on KWWA’s activities in 2008 was screened, and a variety of plans were made: action plans were made and presented, and necessary budget for 2009 was reported and approved.

After the general assembly, a film for the chairperson Choi Sangrim having worked hard for the KWWA for the past 4 years was screened, which was made based on her photos. For her, the headquarters of the KWTU sang songs, and the activists of AWWA who had practiced for two days also danced and sang songs for her.

In addition, we also gave plagues of thanks to Yoo Young-nan (chairperson of BWA) and Han Myunghee (ex-chairperson of the Kuro Woman Resources Development Center) since they have worked so long.

In 2009, are expected (^^) many things for KWWA and its regional organization to do amidst the economic crisis. May all activities be healthy and gain a lot of meaningful fruits of activities with the new directors.

<"Do you want us to really give up our meal costs?” – We oppose to the retrogressive revision of the minimum wage law!: denouncing press conference by the women labor circle>

The Korean women workers’ circle had a press conference denouncing the retrogressive suggestion on the minimum wage law made by the Grand National Party. 

<Opposed to the retrogressive minimum wage law!: denouncing press conference by the women labor circle; “Do you want us to really give up our meal costs?” >

1. Date and venue: December 3, 2008, at 11am/ in front of the Grand National Party building

2. Organized by the KWWA, KWTU, Korean Womenlink, and KWAU

On November 18, 2008, Kim Seong-jo (and other 30 national assembly members) belonging to the Grand National Party suggested the retrogressive revision of the minimum wage law. The major suggests are as follows:

▶ Deducting meal costs and accommodation fees from wages;

▶ Extending the probation period from 3 months to 6 months;

▶ Applying reduced minimum wage to the elderly at their ages of more than 60;

▶ Introducing different minimum wage systems by region;

▶ Making decisions by members of public interests belonging to the Labor Relations Commission when the suggested minimum wage is not decided by deadline.

The minimum wage is the only legal shield to help low wage workers especially irregular women workers to maintain their minimum cost of living, and also an essential legal mechanism to end serious socio-economic polarization and to protect vulnerable classes amidst the current economic crisis.

70% of women workers are irregular workers receiving low wages and having job insecurity; women accounted for 64.4% out of the 1,890,000 persons (11.9%) receiving less than the minimum wage.

The proposed retrogressive revision of the minimum wage law is the attempt to blow off a little light of hope that women workers can have better life when they work hard.

With outsourced cleaners whose wages can be raised only when the minimum wage is rising, the Korean women workers’ circle gathered together to denounce the suggested retrogressive revision of the minimum wage law in one voice:

Presently the minimum wage is 3,770 won an hour and monthly 787,930 won. This accounts for 39.8% of workers’ average wages, and is also so small amount of money that they can sink under the burden of sky-rocketing commodity prices and taxes.

Under this situation, the suggested revision is retrogressive in order to support the demands made only by economic groups.

The retrogressive revision attempted by the Grand National Party should be withdrawn, which does not protect even the minimum wage and attempts to take away the fruit of efforts from workers. In addition, the minimum wage should be upgraded to 50% of average wages of the total workers in order to intend to protect the livelihood of low income workers. Furthermore, strict law enforcement should be needed to make the minimum wage a reality.

The suggested revision has detailed problems as follows:

▶ The introduction of different minimum wage by region will bring about the serious rat races of the decreasing minimum wage amongst local governments and authorities, so as to induce investment into their regions, which causes real decreases in the minimum wage. Additionally, it will reinforce regional gaps and the uneven development between the Seoul metropolitan area and other regions and block strong ties and friendship amongst workers.

▶ The proposed extension of the probation period from 3 months and to 6 months will deteriorate working conditions of the young employed who constitute the most of trainees.  The suggested extension has the possibility to make the Labor Standard Law worse, because the probation period under the Minimum Wage Act can change that of the current Labor Standard Law in order that users can exhaust and fire workers.

▶ The suggested article regarding the application of decreasing minimum wages to the elderly workers at their age of more than 60, is discrimination by age, which will generate only low income workers. Social vulnerable classes should be protected and a variety of supports and benefits for them should be increased and consolidated.

▶ The deduction of meal costs and accommodation fees from wages will cause real decreases in the minimum wage.  This will distort the goals of the minimum wage act: the protection of minimum cost of living and stable livelihood. It will also help users to shift their responsibility to low income workers.  

▶The clause regarding making a decision by members of public interests belonging to the Labor Relations Commission in case in which the minimum wage cannot be decided by the deadline, illustrates giving up the legitimacy of the revision because the law should be discussed and decided by the tripartite structure between workers, users and members of public interests (the government), in fact.  Laws influential to the labor market and with different views about between the capital and the labor, like the minimum wage law, should not be amended unilaterally without any social discussion.

<Workshop for looking back the Korean women workers’ movement and seeking for alternative women workers’ movement>
 

On November 5, 2008, we at the Korean Women Workers Association (KWWA) held a workshop for looking back the Korean women workers’ movement and seeking for an alternative women workers’ movement.  In this workshop, why and how the alternative women workers’ movement had been launched was discussed based on the evaluation of our 20 year activities.  The workshop was prepared by our internal small research group, ‘research team for enhancing high quality alternative women workers’ movement despite earning less’ who studied for the past 8 months.  Based on their discussion, they presented ‘the necessity for propelling an alternative women workers’ movement and finding the ways’ (Lim Youn Ok from the KWWA, and Kang Yangmi from the SWWA) and had a good chance to discuss with other KWWA’s nationwide staff persons.

The participants in the workshop carried out discussion by region after the presentation on the themes: 1. describing the moment when you felt the necessity for propelling an alternative women workers’ movement while working for our organization 2. sharing your ideas and action plans to activate and boost up the alternative women workers’ movement including seeds for exchanging hope, alternative money.  However, any team did not join an optional discussion topic: 3. the aims and strategies of women workers’ movement in face of neo-liberalism.  So, participants evaluated that the KWWA is stronger in practices rather than debates and theories. An ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory. 

<Briefing session regarding 3 year project of childcare workers for low income groups>

On December 29, 2008, Korean Women Workers Association (KWWA) had a briefing session regarding 3 year childcare worker dispatching project for low income groups. Panels and placards showing the 3 year project, and drawings and other works by children were displayed as part of preliminary event ahead of the briefing session.

About 160 people including childcare workers, beneficiary families and children from 6 regions (Seoul, Incheon, Daegu, Pusan, Kwangju and Jeonju) participated in the events.

The childcare worker dispatching project for low income groups was undertaken by KWWA’s 6 regional organizations under the sponsorship of Community Chest of Korea for 3 years between November 1, 2005 and October 31, 2008.  Service suppliers are vulnerable unemployed women. After each of these 30 women selected by each regional organizations, received the total number of 144 hour vocational training, they were sent to low income families.

Families whose children are disabled children and infants, among householders earning less than 60% of average monthly wages of the urban working, took priorities as the service beneficiary.

The provision of this service for children from low income families who had been put in the blind zone of childcare service realized children’s welfare rights as a result of this project, and activated and boosted up the participation of economic activities of the low income families and single parents’ families.

In addition, the improvement of expertise of our childcare workers contributed to job creation for middle aged unemployed workers, and helped them to provide comprehensive service for low income families through the linkage of regional resources.  Moreover, the effect of economic supports for low income groups induced their social and economic independence. 

On that day, children expressed their love and thanks to childcare workers, as an opening ceremony.  After that, briefing session regarding the 3 year report was made and research, ‘effectiveness of childcare workers dispatching project for low income families’ was presented.  A variety of events were also included: touching stories by region were introduced in the form of letters; impressive performances by low income families were delivered; fairy tales were orally narrated; and songs were sung by the childcare workers.  It was a cheerful festival supporting and encouraging each other between childcare workers, beneficiary families and children.