[asia-apec 340] Strike Urgent Report #19

[amc]

                                      Srike Urgent Report #19 
                            - edited on January. 27, 1997, at 01:00 
     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".

Workers Rallies Held All across the Country on the Weekend!! 
     Mass rallies of tens of thousands of workers demanding nullification
and revision of new labor 
     laws were held all across the country including Seoul, Ulsan, Pohang
etc. on the weekend. 
     The KCTU and FKTU had a rally in Yoido Plaza in central Seoul, with
approximately 85,000 
     workers affiliated to each umbrella union. In this rally, both unions
demanded that new 
     anti-workers labor law and National Security Planning Agency(NSPA) act
be nullified and revised 
     before May 1 when the laws would be came into effect, and in this
process of revision the 
     participation of labor circle be guaranteed. They also called for the
release of all the workers 
     under arrest and immediate halt of bosses' suppressive actions in local
unions. 
     After the rally, both unions conducted a signature-collecting campaign
against the ruling New 
     Korea Party(NKP) in several places of central Seoul. According to these
unions, everyday at 12 
     o'clock drivers would blow the horn to show their protest against the
anti-workers labor laws and 
     NSPA act. 
     Also in Ulsan, southern city where many factories of Hyundai Group are
located, local affiliates 
     of KCTU and FKTU held a workers' rally for nullification of new labor
laws in participation of 
     about 5,000 workers in the afternoon of January 26. both unions
resolved that they would keep 
     their joint struggle until the anti-workers laws were nullified. 

Suppressions on Local Unions Increasing! 
     Arrested trade unionists are being released following that Kim's
government suspended the 
     execution of arrest warrants for the union leaders who have led the
"illegal strikes". The police 
     also have yesterday, on January 25, released 4 arrested trade
unionists, and 15 other outstanding 
     arrest warrants for the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU)
leaders will be returned to 
     several courts, thus invalidating them. 
     But on the other hand, prosections which were issued against over 420
laborers of 55 unions 
     across the country have not yet withdrown, and also the legal actions
against them are quite 
     within the realms of possibility at anytime. 
     Besides, capitalists separately are increasing suppressions on the
local unions, especially applying 
     the practice of "no work for no pay" to workplaces. "Pay for no work"
is the nation's unique 
     labor practice, which have developed over the past decade. 
     They treat the workout period as absence without leave, and even cut
the weekly, monthly and 
     yearly allowances. They are, in fact, breaking up the ranks of strikes
through basic workplaces, 
     while in apprearance, raising the image of coversation, not
suppression, by means of evading the 
     throwing of government power. Management groups, including The
Federation of Korean 
     Industries and Korea Employer's Federation, spoke out in a single voice
that employers should 
     pay no wages during a walkout. 

New Labor Law Not Fully Meet the International Standards , OECD Decided 
     The OECD Committee for Employment, Labor and Social Affairs(ELSA) has
reported the 
     governing body of the OECD, the Council, that it acknowledges the
efforts of the Korean 
     authorities to reform labor legislation but considers that the new
labor law does not fully meet 
     the Korean government's commitments on freedom of association and
collective bargaining. 
     The Committee, which follows labor policy in member countries, met
Wednesday to review the 
     new labor legislation passed in South Korea on 26 December. The Chair
or the Committee, 
     Dieter Grossen, reported Thursday to the Council. 
     Mr. Grossen told the Council that the Committee considered that certain
elements of the law 
     represented "a first step in the right direction" but "the reform, as
it stand, does not fully meet 
     the commitments made by the Korean government concerning freedom of
association and 
     collective bargaining." 
     Mr. Grossen said the Committee was pleased that the Korean arthorities
are prepared to 
     reconsider the terms of the new labor law and encouraged the Korean
government to resume 
     dialogue with all the interested parties as a sign of the importance it
attaches to an accelerated 
     process to fully guarantee freedom of association and collective
bargaining. It stressed that the 
     Presidential Commission on Industrial Relations Reform can have an
important role in 
     encouraging public debate, which will foster evolving attitudes and
practices on labor relations. 
     The Secratary-General Donald Johnston said that member countries
welcomed the Korean 
     President's initiative in reconsidering the terms of the revised labor
laws and encouraged all 
     parties to pursue the dialogue towards reform. They are encouraged by
the announcement that the 
     trade unionests currently in prison in connection with recent protests
would be released and that 
     the warrants for arrest of other union leaders would be suspended. 
     The Council asked the Committee to continue to monitor the progress of
reform of labor 
     legislation in Korea. 


     Published by the Telecommunication Taskgroup for General Strike (TTGS)
     Phone : +82-2-855-1913
     E-mail : rys at member.sing-kr.org
     Homepage : http://kpd.sing-kr.org/strike