Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
5th Fl. Daeyoung Bld., 139 Youngdeungpo-2-ga,
Youngdeungpo-ku, Seoul 150-032 Korea
Tel.: +82-2-636-0165 Fax: +82-2-635-1134
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://kctu.org
KCTU News
April 19, 1999
Seoul Subway Workers Strike Leads
the KCTU General Campaign
And 50,000 Korea Telecom Workers Prepares to Join in
STOP PRESS : Television evening news, just after this article was
completed, reported that the Public Prosecutors have issued warrant
of arrest against 44 Seoul Subway Workers Union leaders (Not
officially confirmed). The Korean Federation of Transport, Public &
Social Services Labour Unions went into a special alert in
expectation of overnight police raid.
At four a.m. - when the first trains of the Seoul Subway would on a
normal day start to roll out from the various depots around Seoul to
begin another day of transporting commuters to work, school, home,
and places of interest - Lee Kap-yong, the president of the Korean
Confederation of Trade Unions, declared that the ten thousand members
of the Seoul Subway Workers Union have begun an indefinite strike.
The subway workers were joined some five hours later - around nine
o'clock when most workplaces begin to receive workers to begin the
day's work - by some 15,000 unionists in nineteen other workplaces.
At 4 a.m., some 7,500 Seoul Subway workers were gathered in 4
separate places - following a night-long union general meeting and
negotiations - to embark on their determined strike. Some 1,300
subway drivers later moved to the Myongdong Cathedral to camp out
until the campaign comes to an end.
The sit-in at the Cathedral hill by subway drivers will, therefore,
remain the focus of other subway workers and the KCTU members for the
continuing daily action. Subway workers - those from the maintenance,
engineering, and station staff division - gathered at other sites all
dispersed - to avoid police crackdown - vowing to converge every day
for the daily street rallies.
Repression Begins
The Seoul Subway Corporation responded to the strike by suspending 81
leaders of the union and lodging legal complaint against 86 to the
Public Prosecutors Office (over-lapping list). On the other hand, the
Public Prosecutors Office issued warrants of arrest against 20
leaders of the union, including its president Mr. Seok Chi-soon.
In an effort to prevent the subway workers launching the strike, the
government sent in some 7,000 riot police at the four depots. Their
aim was to apprehend the union leaders to undermine the union
organisation. Furthermore, they aimed to apprehend the subway drivers
to force them to operate the trains. This is not entirely new, as it
has been known In the past for police to actually force subway
drivers into the drivers cabin of subway trains and position one or
two police personnel to make sure the drivers keep driving. But, by
the time riot police appeared on the scene, subway workers had
already dispersed with the drivers safely camped out at the Myongdong
Cathedral grounds.
Having failed to prevent the strike, the government brought in
replacement workforce - mobilising trained personnel from the
military and the National Railway Authority to drive the subway
trains and government employees to staff the stations.
The Korean Metal Workers Federation had earlier on April 16, issued a
special guideline to its members at the companies producing subway
and train locomotives to refuse to be conscripted to drive or provide
maintenance for subway trains.
Government Must Come to Senses
In a special news conference announcing the start of the strike
action, the KCTU president Lee Kap-yong called on the government "to
start responsible negotiations with the KCTU to avoid any further
disruption".
He outlined the KCTU position that "a genuine restructuring must be
founded on a thorough reform of the dynastic chaebol system and the
corrupt political and economic systems". President Lee read a
statement denouncing the government for "stubbornly refusing to come
to senses" and "insisting on indiscriminate mass layoff, drastic cuts
in wage and benefits, unilateral abrogation of collective agreement,
all in the name of 'restructuring'".
President Lee also condemned the attitude and behaviour of the
government in its negotiations with the Seoul Subway Workers Union.
The statement read out by President Lee pointed out that "the
repeated session of negotiation with the Seoul Subway Corporation and
Seoul City Government revealed that they are totally powerless to
negotiate over the central issues because they are strictly directed
by the central government, especially the Planning and Budget Board."
A Last Minute Proposal by the Union to Avert the Strike
The negotiation team composed of the representatives of the Seoul
Subway Workers Union and the Korean Federation of Transport, Public &
Social Service Labour Unions (KPSU) - in a last minute effort to
avert the disruptive strike -- proposed to start talks on
restructuring programme afresh from the beginning based on the
withdrawal by both parties -- the union on the one side and the
Corporation and the City on the other - of their respective demands
or plans for restructuring.
President Lee explained that "the government's acceptance of the new
proposal would have paved the way for the city and subway authority
and the union to develop a commonly acceptable and rational programme
of restructuring."
In response, the Seoul Subway Corporation and Seoul City Government
claimed that they had no authority to start such a negotiation, while
the President Kim Dae Jung's Planning and Budget Board refused to
come to the negotiation, only reiterating its warning to the Seoul
Subway Corporation that the failure to comply with the directive to
"reduce the size of the workforce by 20% as set down for all public
corporation would mean severe reprimand and official rebuke."
The Campaign Heats Up in Spring Warmth
Nearly 10 hours after the launching of the strike, some 15,000
workers from the 20 striking unions and others gathered at the Seoul
Central Station Mall for a public rally. The protesting workers
marched to the Myongdong Cathedral later to join the 1,500 subway
drivers and the leaders wanted for arrest camping out at the hill.
One subway worker in a rallying speech proclaimed that "we must sustain the strike at
least for 15 days until all workers join in". Another workers declared "this strike
will set the conditions for workers for the next ten to twenty years" in explaining
the significance of the strike.
The ranks of the daily demonstration will, on April 20 and 21, be
boosted by some 2,000 members of the Korean Metal Workers Federation.
The metal workers from southern industrial belt, preparing to lead
the general wave following the May Day, will come to Seoul to join
with the subway workers for a day of demonstration. On April 20, all
member unions of the KMWF will hold lunch time stop all meeting to
demonstrate their support for the subway workers struggle and to
prepare for their eventual strike campaign. And on April 21 and 22,
some 3,000 leading members Korea Telecom Trade Union gather from
throughout the country to join in the daily rally in Seoul.
The Civil Society Moves to Pressure the Government
On Sunday April 18, 1999, just a day before the strike,
representatives of 55 civil society movement organisations held a
special news conference declaring their support for the KCTU's
demands and called on the government to begin negotiating with the
KCTU and the Seoul Subway Workers Union in full sincerity.
On April 19, the representative of NGO and community organisations visited the office
of the Chairperson of the Planning and Budget Commission to urge him to begin
negotiations with the Seoul Subway Workers Union. Their visit was however, frustrated
as the Chairperson Jin Nyum vacated his office
to avoid meeting them. Instead, the representatives delivered a special statement
calling on the government to stop orchestrating a situation where worker-police
confrontation may break out and to begin genuine negotiations over the KCTU's demands.
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