[vol.7] Voices from the Field_Under the solidarity of labour let's overcome the confrontation between men and women promoted by companies.
A member of the Labour Union of Han Kuk Sam Bon Co.
It was right after the "attendance at work" struggle. About 70 male managers and union members came to the union office and the library which was used for the overnight struggle. They shouted, "We come to destroy the useless Labour Union!"
After the "attendance at work" struggle the next morning, the union leaders were having a meeting to discuss the countermeasures for the violation, where the male union members and managers had removed the protest poster of the violation the day before. The union leaders strongly protested against the removal and some of them got injured again.
They were immediately moved to a hospital, but they are still in serious condition. The West Kyongnam office of the National Democratic Metal Labour Union Federation regarded it as violence which was jointly carried out by the company and male workers. They censured them for their brutality and decided to launch a united countermeasure action.
The Union Office of Han Kuk Sanbon, where over 180 of a total 220 workers are women, showed their leading activities in the wage struggle in 1995. Their struggles encouraged the workers of Masan and Changwon areas. In the process of the wage struggle, the company constantly insisted, "The company is in crisis in its management. .... The company is not able to pay wages."
Even after the strike was over, the company did not pay wages and bonuses saying the company was in crisis which formed a unstable atmosphere. The company promoted some of the male union leaders who worked for the company during the wage struggle, and it used them to try to change the present union leaders. It failed due to the consolidated action of the union members.
The company declared, "We will sell the Changwon Electronics, which is a daughter firm of the Han Kuk Sanbon without mutual agreement with the union". The company tried to change the working places of some union leaders, but this action was protested by San Bon union members and local colleagues.
The company, which has showed its insincere and unfaithful attitude in collective bargaining, has encouraged the male union members to intimidate female union members insisting that the crisis of the company has been owing to the democratic union, which always organized constant strikes and struggles.
The company has tried to make workers leave the democratic workers' union. About 40 male workers and managers, supported by the company, have attempted to dissolve the union using all methods. At last they attacked the union office.
As shown above, there have been acute confrontations between men and women during the wage struggle in the working places where the major number of the workers are women. Why do the acute confrontations exist? There are three possible reasons as follows.
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The most crucial reason is that the male workers have no clear workers' perspective and they are unable to understand the situation of the women workers.
The patriarchal authority of the male workers also results in men versus women confrontation.
The basic reason comes from the prompting of the company as a mean of dissolving the union.
How can we overcome the men versus women confrontation, which has been encouraged by society?
At first, we should help all members to have a clear understanding about the demands of the union in the process of preparing the wage struggle through sufficient education, promotion, and discussions.
When male workers go against the union decision, we should try to understand their opinions and what are the things they are afraid of through open discussion and forum rather than just ignoring their demands or confronting them emotionally.
We should not forget that our struggle direction is not against men but the company. If the male workers still come along with the violence in unity with the company in spite of our efforts, we should not be discouraged but stand firmly.