[asia-apec 1848] URGENT REQUESTS FOR SOLIDARITY FROM INDONESIA, KOREA, AND Vancouver

[Aaron James]

Friends,

here are annoucements for four actions in defense of human rights in the
Asia Pacific. Please take a moment to review and respond to these urgent
requests....

1. Immigration, Refugee and Migrant worker rights rally in Vancouver
2. Request for Solidarity from the Korean Public Sector Unions
3. A Photo Essay on human rights in Burma in Vancouver
4. A Request for solidarity from striking Indonesian workers at a GAP
subcontracting manufacturing plant


  Rally and Speak Out
  In Support of Immigrant, Refugee, and Migrant Worker Rights
 
  Friday, March 1, 2002
 
  12 to 1
 
  800 Burrard (at the corner of Robson)
  the Regional office of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
 
  The government continues to push draconian changes through a barrage of
  Bills: C35, C36, C42, and through restricting immigration.
 
  Bringing in harsh and punitive measures, Canada's new Immigration Act adds
  to the racist backlash against immigrants and refugees after September 11.
 
  Join us in solidarity and protest!
 
  Say no to racism!
 
  We will present a list of demands to Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
 
  Brought to you by POSSE and friends...
  People Organizing Spontaneous Solidarity Efforts
 
  For more information, call 604.682.3269, ext. 6467
 
 
  ***************************
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters All Around the World,
 
We send our deepest solidarity to your struggles for workers' rights.

At the moment, the Korean government is attempting to privatise and sell
off to foreign monopoly capital, most of Korea's core national industries
including the railway, gas and electricity. The number of workers concerned
amounts to 30,000, who are on the verge of being laid-off. 

130,000 public sector workers -100,000 from KPSU, 25,000 railway workers
and 3,000 gas workers- have decided to go on a general strike as of 9:00am
25th February 2002, to resist against the government. The Korean government
and workers are in tense conflict, because the government is not showing
willingness to solve the present situation through dialogue. Instead, on
22nd it held a meeting of security-related ministers, promising austere
measures in case of an illegal strike. The government is making attempts to
arrest union leaders and rid of the unions. When we go on strike, it is for
certain that hundreds of union leaders will be arrested and our unions will
be sued for compensations. 

We, the Korean workers, thus ask in urgency for the solidarity and support
of workers all around the world. 

 

We ask for your support through the following actions:

- Please organise rallies and protest letters to the Korean Embassy, in
defiance of the suppression by the Korean government.

- Please send letters and telephone calls to the Korean government
protesting the suppression of the workers. 

- Please visit or send messages of support and encouragement to the Korean
workers, who are fighting in spite of hardline oppression and neo-liberal
globalisation.

 

In Solidarity,

Kyoung-kyu Yang, 

President, 

Korean Federation of Transportation, Public & Social Services Workers
Unions(KPSU) 

 
-----------------------------------------------------------
* A Report on the Struggles of Korean Workers : 

Struggles Against Privatisation of Railway, Electricity and Gas

 

Korean Federation of Transportation, Public & Social Services Workersýý
Unions(KPSU)


 

 

- The Korean government promoted economic policies in accordance with the
Structural Adjustment Programs that the IMF enforced, in exchange for a
'rescue package' just after the economic crisis. 

- In implementing IMF's program during the last four years, the Korean
government has privatised major national corporations such as POSCO, Korea
Tobacco & Ginseng Corporation, Daehan Oil Pipeline, Korea Heavy Industries
& Construction and Korea Chemical Corporation, while privatising individual
business parts by separating and outsourcing. 

- The government has also cut down the government and public sector
workforce by 140,000, while deteriorating wages and working conditions. 

- Privatisation policies of national corporations are now in a critical
situation. The government plans to finish off separations for privatisation
of the railway and gas, and the sell off of electricity generation plants.

- The privatisation policies and commercialisation strategies that were
promoted after the economic crisis, are now developing into privatisation
of the entire sector. 

- However, trade unions are concerned not only with the downsizing and
deterioration of working conditions that will result from privatisation,
but also with the fact that railway, gas and electricity are core
industries of the country. The unions have also warned about social dangers
which privatisation of essential public services will bring. 

- The unions have proposed that a 'social consensus' be made between the
government, unions and civil organisations to terminate privatisation plans
and improve the quality of service through inner reformations. However,
concerned only with pushing ahead with its plans, the government has
ignored all propositions. 

- The trade unions of railway, electricity and gas formed the 'Common
Struggle Headquarters Against Privatisation of Core National Industries' on
31st October last year, deciding to fight together against privatisation of
core national industries and essential public services. Workers have been
holding massive rallies to demand the cancellation of privatisation plans,
while promising to go on an all-out strike if the government does not
answer to the demands of the unions.

- The scheduled date of the big struggle is 25th February. The government
has ignored our demands, and the unions will go forth with the scheduled
struggle to pervade our just demands. 

- A conflict between the government that promotes privatisation and the
unions which are against it, is now inevitable. The unions will struggle to
protect our working conditions and to protect our workplaces that have
contributed to the social integration and democracy through the provision
of essential public services. 

- We are certain that this conflict is the 'shade of globalisation'
brought on by the intentions of international financial capital to dominate
the Korean economy, in its pursue of profits through neo-liberal
commercialisation strategies. 

- We ask for the support and solidarity from all our working brothers and
sisters worldwide who are fighting against neo-liberal globalisation and
domination of international financial capital that threaten peace and
wellbeing of our world. 


 

Workers of the world! 

 

Please send solidarity to our demand "stop restructuring and privatisation
of the public sector, which will only reinforce domination of capital!"

 

Tell the Korean government to "dialogue with the union and stop the
destructive privatisation plans!". Tell the IMF to "stop intervention into
the Korean economy and stop pressuring privatisation!". Protest against the
government and international financial organisations that deny these
democratic and social demands!



Korean Peoples' action against WTO & BIT

8-48 4th Floor Galwoel-dong Yongsan-gu Seoul
Kopa at jinbo.net http://antiwto.jinbo.net
Tel: +82-2-778-4007 Fax:+82-2-778-4006
  
***************************

Burma activists are all encouraged to attend the reception and view her work: 

A Journey in Burma: A Photo Essay Exhibit by Leah S. Briggs
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday March 2nd at 7 pm

Firehall Centre for the Arts, Delta Arts Council

11469 - 84th Ave., North Delta

Leah Briggs, photojournalist will be showing her work for one month at the
Firehall Centre for the Arts in North Delta. She has invited VBRT to do
outreach at the Opening Reception Funds raised will used to benefit the
people of Burma. 

Folk artists from the local Burma community will perform in honour of the
occasion.

***************************

Dear Friends,
Since February 21, 2002, 420 workers from PT Molax International (a GAP's
sub contractor factory) located at KBN Cakung (Cakung Bonded Zone) - North
Jakarta organized a strike to demand for their rights. 

They strive for:

1. No intervention from Manager and Supervisor into Trade Union. 

According to union chairman, Martadinata, the management of PT. Molax
International still makes some intervention. For example, the supervisor
propagates an illegal leaflet to the members especially in the Finishing
Department to push the new chairman away. For information, workers have
elected the new chairman democratically (one voter, one vote).

After he becomes the union's chairman, the management always intimidates
him by transferred from Finishing Department to General Department. He
refused but he was then having no job. After that, he was transferred to
the Iron Department. Up to now he has no definitive position in the
factory. This case is a part of intimidation done by the factory manager
and supervisor to the workers and trade union.

2. No Intimidation 

During the protest, the workers demand for no intimidation or pressures put
on the workers like dismissal. They demand for their wages paid during the
protest. (see no. 1 above). 

3. Health Allowance

The factory management does not provide health allowance. According to the
factory manager, health allowance will be provided to the workers after the
CLA (Collective Labor Agreement) were agreed and signed. 

4. No Physical Abuse by Supervisor and Foreign Staff 

If they were come late or making a mistake, she or he have to standing for
hours in front of their rooms, very often yelled with rude words such as
Pig You! Etc., and female workers were harassed by blowing their buttocks).

5. Improving Working Condition 

Their working condition is poor, such as hot condition. They ask the
management to install AC on.

6. Seniority Payment 

Seniority payment should be paid for workers who have employed more than a
year and Minimum Wage paid to workers who have work less than one year.

7. Overtime Pay 

Overtime pay should not violate the Labor Laws. According to the Laws, the
overtime pay for the first hours is wages/hour x 1,5 and for the second
hours is wages/hour x 2. 

8. Nutritious Meal and Extra Transport Allowance

Meal should meet 1.600 calories. The present meal allowance paid by the
factory only about Rp. 1750 and it is far from enough to buy nutritious
meal. The factory management has agreed to increase meal allowance up to
Rp. 2.000.- but at the same time they also cut the transport allowance.

9. Extra Transport Allowance 

Workers demand for Extra Transport Allowance for overtime work until night
(21.00 p.m.). Workers said that the factory provides transport facilities
for those who work overtime but in fact never reach the workers' home. The
result is the workers should pay for transport by them selves to reach
their home. 

10. Praying House (Musholla) 

Majority of workers are Moslem and have regular praying time. But they have
no place to meet their religious demand for praying because the place is
now used for warehouse (keeping box, etc) by factory. 

11. Wages Pay-slip

The wage details in the pay-slip should be made apart from others allowance. 

12. Dismissal 

Workers demand for payment for every dismissal based on the Man Power and
Transmigration Ministry Regulation No. 150/2000. 

Workers have discussed the above problems with Ms. Ira Puspa Dewi, the
Indonesia GAP representative on October 10, 2001. She has promised to
handle the problems on October 12, 2001.



Appeal:

1.	Write to GAP to enforce its contractor to implement GAP Code of Conduct.

Corporate Communications
Gap Inc.
Two Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
Call (800) 333-7899, ext. 45550

------------------
Aaron James
26 Bluebell Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R2V 2M3
Phone: 204-339-4484
Email: aaronj at interchange.ubc.ca
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