[asia-apec 326] Strike Urgent Report #14

[amc]

                                   Strike Urgent Report #14 
                            - edited on January. 16, 1997, at 01:00 
                    Thirteenth day of the General Strike in THE SECOND WAVE 

KCTU and FKTU going on the Strike simultaneously..
     The Korea Confederation of Trade Union(KCTU) and the Federation of
Korean Trade 
     Unions(FKTU), both umbrella unions in South Korea, resumed almost at
the same time a large 
     scale strike on January 14 and 15, and accordingly the strike situation
that has lasted for twenty 
     days meets the highest climax.
     This joint strike of both the trade unions including public sectors
seems to pressure on the 
     government and ruling party which are now placed in a plight as strikes
obtain public supports.
     Subway workers in Seoul and Pusan joined the general strike beginning
at 4 a.m. today in 
     solidarity with other industry union workers. The subway workers have
been working out of 
     uniforms in protest since arrest warrants were issued against the KCTU
leaders now headquarterd 
     at Myongdong Cathedral. 
     The FKTU also called for a one-day strike for bus drivers in Seoul and
other major cities. Taxi, 
     port and other unions under control of the FKTU went on a two-day
strike yesterday. Cabbies, 
     some of whom parked their taxis and joined the picket lines yesterday
are set to go for a 
     full-fledged industrial action. 
     Meanwhile, the prosecution, which has already obtained arrest warrants
for seven KCTU leaders 
     and 13 other union leaders, said the union leaders of public sectors
will be arrested soon if the 
     strikes inconvenience citizens. 

ICFTU Dismisses Government Accusations of Interference 
     The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) on
Thuesday rejected South 
     Korean government accusations of interference in labor unrest here. 
     "Our delegation in Korea is in response to an invitation by our Korean
affiliates and out of 
     concern about violations by Korea of international labour law," ICFTU
assistant general secretary 
     Eddy Laurijssen said in a statement sent from the Brussels
headquarters. Laurijssen said any 
     move to prevent the ICFTU from expressing solidarity with South Korean
trade unions would be 
     seen as an "outrage" by international workers. 
     He expessed concern over government warnings that the presence of the
four ICFTU delegates at 
     sites of labor unrest violated the purpose of their entry into the
country. South Korean officials 
     on Monday slammed the ICFTU delegation for "reprehensible" complicity
with unions in a 
     nationwide strike against an new labor law. Press reports carried
veiled hints of possible 
     deportation. 
     The four ICFTU delegates, headed by John Evans, general secretary of
the Trade Union 
     Advisory Committee to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), 
     held a press conference here criticizing a new labor law that led to
the strikes. The ICFTU has 
     also filed a complaint against the law with the International Labor
Organization in Geneva. 

Solidarity over religions and over classes! 
     Dam water has been burst.
     General strikes broke a sluice gate of 'popular feeling' open. The
furious popular feeling gushing 
     out jumped over the walls of regions and classes. 
     Since the laws were bulldozed, the 'consciences' everywhere in the
society began to break the 
     silences and move. on December 31, member lawyers of <Association of
lawyers for democratic society>
     went on a sit-in demonstration. They insisted that the democracy,
tampled down in 7 minutes, should be      taken back. 
     Professor marched down on the street, on the same day, demading to
nullify the railroaded laws. 
     A statement by professors at college of law is given on 7th, follwed by
a special statement on 
     current situation in which nation-wide range of professors join
including Seoul Naitonal 
     University, Yonsei Univ., Korea Univ., Pusan Univ. and etc.
     They made it clear that they will step forward to campaign to over-
thorw the present 
     government, unless the bulldozed laws are out of effect. 
     Religious leaders also coped with this situation swiftly. The Roman
Catholic Church at Seoul 
     held a prayer meeting on Dec.27 at Myungdong Cathedral. They claimed
strongly that unilateral 
     passage of bills is null and void. Buddists also marched down on the
street in the central district 
     after their meeting at Choke-sa on 30 Dec. 330 present priests
announced that they will hold a 
     mass gathering on every Monday. Protestants held a street prayer
meeting since Jan.3. and hung 
     out placard requesting resign of President Kim. 
     Those resistances by all sorts and conditions of people got together to
announce "declaration of 
     1997 persons." This statement was made by national-wide persons of
religious, academic, culture 
     and art circles. It is concentrated on "the protection of democracy".
On the same day, all walks 
     of life over region and class made a parade of solidarity. Those
solidarity rallies, that day, were 
     held in big cities including Pusan, Kwangju, Taeku and others. The
Nationwide Committee that 
     held the rallies put it that present government is distrusted virtually. 
     Opinions like these show signs of active resistance like noncofidence
and disobedience growing 
     from passive opposition. 
     "The fact that changing the world through these campaign is not by a
resolution of only a 
     politician but by the power of the people," people who plan to attach
labels on cars read "I hate 
     civilian dictatorship" and "We elected President in wrong." said. 


     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