Rally of grassroots union leaders nationwide on June 2
The KGEU held a rally of grassroots leaders nationwide on June 2 to proclaim its June all-out struggle. In the meantime, the sit-in protest with indefinite hunger strike in front of the Central Government Building continues from May 29, by which the union leaders including president KWON Seung Bok and 4 branch chairs are demanding guarantee of government employees’ basic labour rights, reinstatement of the dismissed, no to worsening of government employees’ pension, and no to forceful retrenchment of government employees. The KGEU started its June struggles.
During the rally in which around 1,000 grassroots union leaders nationwide participated, president KWON argued in his speech that “it is time for the government to respond to government employees’ voices for basic labour rights. It is the government that should be responsible for the dismissed government employees, whose activities were aimed at greater recognition of trade union rights in line with international standards.”
The KGEU decided at its congress on May 19 that the union will launch and undertake intense struggles and active negotiations in June and will decide union’s direction at its congress in July. Moreover, the union decided that it will be registered regardless of form of the law, provided that the dismissed are reinstated and malignant clauses of the special act are revised, while the demand for the right to strike shall be postponed.
President KWON added that “the union will win the June all-out struggle to attain our 4 demands as we decided at the congress.” General secretary KIM Jung Soo asserted that “if the government does not want talks and negotiations, the union will accordingly counteract. The KCTU and the KGEU shall fight back together to make sure that the government comes out for talks with unions.”
First vice chair of KGEU Educational Administrative Organs Branch, Bro. PARK Yong Seok, claimed during his speech that the ROH Moo Hyun regime is driving people to despair in the name of neo-liberal reform and that the union is fighting for people’s rights to livelihood as well as our own interests. This is why the government and ruling elite are afraid of a strong union of government employees and why they are oppressing the KGEU.
During the rally, the KGEU launched a special task force for nationwide action tour, which is made up of about 200 grassroots leaders. They are planning to organise workplace meetings with rank and file workers and local actions for the union’s 4 demands.
After the rally, the KGEU participants joined a protest rally against corporatisation of national universities.
Interview with KGEU leaders on hunger strike
President KWON Seung Bok
Q: What is the significance of KGEU’s June all-out struggle?
A: We have been asking for full guarantee of government employees’ basic labour rights. But we think that what’s more important is to build up more positive circumstances for dialogue. Accordingly, we proposed a significant change in union’s stance on labour rights issue. It’s been 3 months since then. The government attitude has not changed at all and still refuses to talk with the union. We have no choice other than this all-out struggle.
Q: The most recent congress confirmed that the KGEU will decide the union’s direction after the June struggle and that the result of the struggle should be confirmed by a general vote of union members. Under With these circumstances, it seems like the June struggles could mean something special to the union and the union leadership, doesn’t it?
A: Some say that the union should step backwards just because the repression is too hard to endure any longer. This would be nothing but annihilating our past 5 years of struggles and a mistake that would not be accepted in our democratic trade union movement of government employees. We cannot accept the special act as it is, without any changes to the malignant clauses of it.
We decided that the union shall fight back for our basic labour rights in solidarity with the KCTU and that the union will ask our rank and file members whether there should be further changes in union’s direction. Here is the reason why the June struggle is so important.
Q: The union leaders started indefinite hunger strike. What does it signify?
A: The harsh repression by the government has made the union a bit shivered and shrunken. But the rank and files are still alive despite the repression. The role of union leaders should be leading and organising the rank and file members up to vivid union activities and overcoming the repression. I’m sure that the union will be much more fortified by this struggle. The resurrection of the union has already started from grassroots leaders at workplace level.
Q: Do you have anything to say to the government that is still turning a deaf ear to the union?
A: So far, the government has repeated its stance that it shall not have any talks with the KGEU, “an illegal organisation.” The government should come out for talks with the union, rather than unconditionally refusing it. Now is the time for the government to listen to the voices from 900 thousand government employees.
Chair of KGEU Chungnam-do (province) Regional Branch, LEE Dong Jin
"What I have been most afraid of and reluctant to do is getting my head shaved and going on a hunger strike. But the reality of workers in South Korea doesn’t leave me any choice. When union’s local offices were forcibly closed down, I had to shave my head. And I joined this hunger strike when the union decided the June all-out struggles. The rank and file members of the union who desperately want the union to break through these difficulties gave me the courage. I’m still afraid of this hunger strike but I feel I have to do it. It’s because I think the union leaders should stand in the forefront of the struggle when the repression is grabbing for our members. It is the time to fight back.
What’s most important is to get together and share the struggle with the rank and files. I was so touched by a message sent by mobile phone SMS. A member who is in the hospital sent the message saying “Take care of your health to win the struggle.” With our members, we will win this June all-out struggle.
Support and solidarity from civil society
Support and solidarity from civil society are rushing in. Variety of civic organisations such as human rights advocacy groups, political organisations, trade unions and political parties are expressing their support and are joining our struggles in solidarity.
Followings are excerpts from some of the statements:
Human Rights Solidarity for New Society, May 29, 2007
"...We express our deep concern over the attitude of the government that denies government employees’ freedom of association and that refuses any talks. Freedom of association is not a matter of whether to allow or disallow. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (MOGAHA) brands the KGEU as an illegal organisation. The KGEU is a legitimate union, only that it is remaining outside the special act. The government and municipalities have concertedly oppressed the KGEU. This repression is not different at all from the one under the military dictatorship in the past...
...We will actively get involved in KGEU’s independent and democratic activities in solidarity. In order to get a breakthrough, the government should have talks with the KGEU and the national assembly should immediately revise the malignant clauses of the special act...“People’s Solidarity for Social Progress, May 31, 2007”...We denounce the ROH Moo Hyun government for its years of denial of government employees’ basic labour rights. The only thing that the government has shown is inhumane repression instead of talks. Finally, the government unilaterally legislated the special act that seriously restricts their trade union rights...
...The ROH regime that calls for so-called globalisation openly infringes international labour standards. We urge the government to immediately recognise the KGEU and guarantee their trade union rights, and to stop the structural adjustment programmes and privatisation of public services. Let’s join the KGEU’s struggle together now!“MINBYUN-Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Labour Committee), June 1, 2007”...South Korea has been reluctant to ratify ILO conventions and is ranked as one of the worst cases in the world with only 22 conventions ratified. The ILO branded South Korea, together with Colombia, to be one of the worst countries whose cases have been pending for such a long time.
...Since the establishment of the KGEU, around 2,500 government employees have been taken to disciplinary measures including dismissals for their trade union activities. Recently, KGEU local offices were forcibly closed down and government employees were retrenched with the “3% forcible retrenchment system,” which has been newly introduced.
...We are deeply concerned over these arbitrary policies of the government. The government policies that substantially deny trade union rights simply by the fact that the employees are ‘civil servants’, and that force dismissal and impose criminal punishment for trade union activities are illegitimate. These imprudent actions will only have baneful influence on industrial relations as a whole in this country.
Before it is too late, the government should take positive steps towards recognition of the KGEU and substantial guarantee of government employees’ trade union rights."
Korean Network of Human Rights Organisations, June 1, 2007
- The network is made up of 37 human rights advocacy groups including SARANGBANG Group for Human Rights, Solidarity Group for Peace and Human Rights, Cultural Action, Research Institute of the Differently Abled Persons’ Right in Korea, Buddhist Human Rights Committee, and Solidarity for Human Rights Protesting against Poverty and Discrimination.
"...We, the human rights advocacy groups in South Korea, express our support of KGEU’s struggles and strongly urge the government, the national assembly and the political parties to take positive steps to immediately revise the special act and to solve the situation around the KGEU. The Act on Establishment and Operations etc. of Public Officials’ Trade Unions severely restricts government employees’ rights to association and collective bargaining and prohibits any kinds of collective action. It truly blocks trade union activities...
...The UN Human Rights Committee recommended the South Korean government to recognise government employees’ freedom of association and to engage in dialogue with the KGEU with a view to ensuring the realization of their right of association...
The government should entirely change its policies that oppress the KGEU and that brand it as an illegal organisation. The anti-human rights attitude of the government, which totally denies freedom of association enshrined in the Constitution, contradicts reality and even manipulates it.
...The KGEU has been contributing a lot to truly reforming civil service for people and to extending public services to those excluded. The existence and activities of the KGEU are of benefit to people...
...Government employees are human beings and workers. Any actions on the part of the government deviating from this reality such as oppressing the KGEU and denying their basic human rights cannot be justified. We, the human rights advocacy groups, hereby, proclaim that we will raise this issue to civil society as one of main agendas on human rights and make every effort to solve it with people."