[asia-apec 324] Strike Urgent Report #12

[amc]

                                    Strike Urgent Report #12 
                            - edited on January. 14, 1997, at 01:00 
                     Eleventh day of the General Strike in THE SECOND WAVE 

More Delegates for Support will Come from Abroad, ICFTU said 
     The labor protest gained international support as a delegation from the
International Confederation 
     of Free Trade Unions(ICFTU) flew to Seoul on Saturday to side with
striking unions. The 
     ICFTU delegation visited the KCTU President Kwon Young-gil and other
union leaders at 
     Myongdong Cathedral yesterday for the second day, pledging support for
the nation's unions.
     Marcello Malentacchi, a representative of the Brussels-based ICFTU told
a crowd at the church 
     that "your struggle is our struggle," and that a large number of
delegates will come to Seoul for 
     a protest visit around next Thursday. Malentacchi also pledged that the
ICFTU will idensify a 
     worldwide campaign to protest the nation's unpopular labor law by
sending protest letters to the 
     nation's overseas missions.
     On the other hand, pro-union protesters are picketing South Korean
missions in Asia, Europe and 
     the United States. Various international organizations, including the
Organization for Economic 
     Cooperation and Development(OECD) , the International Labor
Organization(ILO) and Amnesty 
     International, expressed concerns or criticized the labor laws.
     On the morning of January 10, at the initiative of the ICFTU and its
Belgian affiliated the 
     FGTB-ABVV, a high level international trade union delegation and its
Belgian affiliate the 
     CSC-ACV, visited the Korean Embassy. The delegation was supported by
100 Belgian trade 
     unionists and representatives of international trade union
organizations based in Brussels. They 
     organized a picket outside the Korean Embassy chanting slogans such as
"trade union rights are 
     human rights" and "repeal the infamous law".
     Similar demonstrations were organized, following an appeal by the
ICFTU, in various cities 
     including Geneva, London, Madeira,The Hague, Manila, New York, Seattel
and Washington D.C.

Two Umbrella Unions rejected a Televised Debate proposed by NKP Chairman 
     Facing growing popular protests and with a sense of crisis building in
the government, senior 
     officials began extending conciliatory gestures with law-enforcement
authorities refraining from 
     resorting to the use of force in arresting the union leaders. The
ruling New Korea Party(NKP) 
     Chairman Lee Hong-koo, who visited the Federation of Korea Trade Unions
(FKTU) Friday, 
     proposed a televised debate on the labor laws Saturday.
     But the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) now spearheading the
the current general 
     strikes immediately rejected the proposal, which they termed a "farce".
Kwon Young-gil, 
     President of the KCTU held the press conference and said "the televised
debate held without 
     nullifying the laws of labor and the National Security Planning Agency
has no meaning."
     The KCTU has set midnight tomorrow as the deadline for ever bigger
strikes nationwide. The 
     KCTU reaffirmed that subway and communications workers will join the
nationwide strikes unless 
     the government nullifies the laws by the deadline.
     The Federation of Korea Trade Unions(FKTU) has also called on its 1.2
million members to 
     enter a two-day strike beginning tomorrow. FKTU chairman Park, In-sung
said the strikes will be 
     the biggest in the nation's history, joined by electronic power, train,
cargo and finance unions.

     Published by the Telecommunication Taskgroup for General Strike (TTGS)
     Distributed through Online BBS Service and Internet twice a day
     Phone : +82-2-855-1913
     E-mail : rys at member.sing-kr.org
     Homepage : http://kpd.sing-kr.org/strike