[asia-apec 339] Strike Urgent Report #18

[amc]

                                    Strike Urgent Report #18 
                            - edited on January. 23, 1997, at 01:00 
                                   28th day of General Strike 
     NOTICE : This report will be published twice a week, every Thursday and
Sunday from this 
     issue. It is because the strategy of General Strike has changed to
"Wednesday Strike" and 
     "Saturday Rally". 

Nullification of anti-labor law fails to be agreed, in President and Party
Leaders Meeting
     President Kim Young-sam made concessions on January 21, offering
discussion in National 
     Assembly of the labor and spy agency bills on a bipartisan agreement.
Kim also told opposition 
     leaders Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-pil that he will order authorities to
suspend the execution of 
     arrest warrants issued for union leaders who have been organizing the
month-long strike. 
     The opposition leaders, however, stuck to their hard-line position,
repeating their demand that the 
     Kim government first nullify the laws and start their legislation
process all over again. The 
     President and the opposition leaders, however, failed to reach an
agreement on the legitimacy and 
     legality of the laws, which railroaded through parliament by the ruling
party on December 26. 
     Yoon Yeo-joon, spokemen of Chong Wa Dae, reading notes President Kim
dictated after the 
     meeting, said that President made clear that he cannot accept the
opposition demand for 
     nullification. 
     This Chong Wa Dae meeting, therefore, seems to find a breakthrough for
the present situation. 
     But, in fact, the decision to review the laws at the National Assembly
has not met the laborers' 
     ardent hopes for its repeal. 
     Immediately after the Chong Wa Dae meeting, the Korean Confederation of
Trade Unions(KCTU) 
     held a press conference and said with the heart issue of nullifying the
railroading laws failing to 
     be agreed, and the concrete plan not suggested, only the principle of
reviewing in National 
     Assembly was confirmed. "this leaders meeting that obtained the
government's concession is the 
     outcome of the struggle by 1.2 million laborers and citizens, but it is
only the makeshift in that 
     substances of the meeting are far from the essential solution to the
situation, so they can never 
     shrink the strong resistances and rages of the laborers and citizens. 

First "Wednesday Strike" with over 143,000 workers of 135 unions
     Following the change of strategy that they would call for strikes every
Wednesday until February 
     18, and the disappointment at the Chong Wa Dae meeting that failed to
reach the agreement on 
     the nullification of the railroaded laws, the KCTU staged strikes on
January 22, as scheduled. 
     "Wednesday is the general strike's day!"
     Over 143,000 workers of 135 unions rushed into strikes on last
Wednesday since the KCTU 
     declared the conversion of 'Wednesday strike'. The Major compounds are
the Hyundai Group 
     Union Federation, Automobile industry unions, and Metal Worker's
unions. And also large-scale 
     rallies were held across the country. At Chong myo Park in central
Seoul, about 15,000 people 
     including laborers, students and citizens participated and claimed the
nullification of the bulldozed 
     laws and the retirement of Kim's government. 
     This Saturday, January 26, a joint rallies held be the KCTU and the
Federation of Korea Trade 
     Unions(FKTU) is scheduled. The tally of 500,000 people are expected to
join in the rallies 
     which will be held at Yoido Plaza in central Seoul and other major
cities including Pusan, 
     Kwangju, Taegu, and Chungju. The International labor organizations like
The International 
     Committee of Free Trade Union(ICFTU) that visited Korea will also make
solidarity speech in 
     that rally. 
     They plan to launch a 10 million person-signature-collecting campaign
against the ruling New 
     Korea Party(NKP) soon. 

Second Delegation of ICFTU Came to Korea, and OECD TUAC reviewed new labor law 
     "New laws in Korea are laws without justice, they should be set aside
and consultation should 
     take place" said Bill Jordan, General Secretary of International
Confederation of Free Trade 
     Unions(ICFTU) who arrived in Seoul on January 20. Mr Jordan and ten
international trade union 
     delegation came to Korea to show solidarity with Korean workers
protesting against the 
     anti-workers labor law. This delegation met the KCTU leaders who had
gone on the sit-in 
     struggle during nearly a month in cold ground of Myongdong Cathedral.
After the meeting, they 
     had a press conference with the KCTU leaders, in which they reaffirmed
their a constant support 
     and solidarity to the Korean workers' struggle. 
     In the meantime, the first trade union delegation which visited Korea
last week met the 
     goverment action that would restict re-entry to Korea of its members.
According to the airport 
     official, the reason is because they had been involved in political
activities , and so had abused 
     their tourist visas. While they were not deported, the head of the
first delegation, Takashi Izumi, 
     General Secretary of APRO, had his multiple-entry to Korea cancelled on
his departure. and 
     other 3 members including John Evans, General Secretary of OECD Trade
Union Advisory 
     Committe(TUAC) also were issued warning papers directing them to be
issued a separate visas 
     on next entry. The first delegation who had entered on 10, left Seoul
on January 16. During the 
     time in Korea, they showed solidarity to the Korean workers in the
rally held by the KCTU and 
     FKTU, and met the trade unions and the Minister of Labor. 
     On January 20, Jung Hae-sook, Vice President of the KCTU and former
President of National 
     Teacher's Unions, left for Paris to attend a OECD TUAC meeting as a
representative of the 
     KCTU. The TUAC meeting would discuss the current situation of Korea
unions, and prepare a 
     research report presented to OECD ELSA on this issue.
     Before leaving, She said, "In the meeting, I will focus on the
illegality in the passage of new 
     labor law and the amendment that is insufficient to satisfy the basic
right of laborers." 
     OECD Employ, Labor, and Social Affair Committee(ELSA) opened a joint
conference with 
     TUSA and Business and Industry Advisory Committee(BIAC) to discuss
about the labor law of 
     South Korea on January 22. Before this meeting, Jung Hae-sook, Vice
President of the KCTU 
     and other representatives of KCTU and FKTU attended the meeting of
TUSA, and Park Ung-su, 
     Chairman of Samsung Economic Reseach Center also joined that of BIAC as
a representive of 
     businesses. ELSA would conclude whether the amendment of labor law
satified international 
     standards and the promise which Korean government had made, and hand on
its report to OECD 
     Council comprised of ambassadors from all Member states. Its Council
would be held on January 
     23. 


     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