File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/97-01-07.045, message 46


Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 13:34:03 -0500
From: Furuhashi.1-AT-osu.edu (Yoshie Furuhashi)
Subject: M-I: (Fwd) The Second Wave of General Strike


>Date: Mon, 6 Jan 1997 00:31:11 -0500
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>From: Tony Budak<abudak-AT-alumni.ysu.edu>
>Subject: (Fwd) The Second Wave of General Strike

><---- Begin Forwarded Message ---->
>Date: Sat, 4 Jan 1997 02:16:21 +0000
>Reply-To: Forum on Labor in the Global Economy <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
>From: LabourNet <chrisbailey-AT-GN.APC.ORG>
>Subject: (Fwd) The Second Wave of General Strike
>To: Multiple recipients of list LABOR-L <LABOR-L-AT-YORKU.CA>
>
>------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
>Date:          Sat, 04 Jan 1997 03:13:30 +0900
>From:          KCTU-International <kctuint-AT-chollian.dacom.co.kr>
>Organization:  KCTU
>Subject:       The Second Wave of General Strike
>
>     KOREAN CONFEDERATION OF TRADE UNIONS
>
>            Struggle for Labour Law Reforms
>                 Campaign News XX
>                   January 3, 1997
>
>
>
>                   General Strike
>             The Successful First Wave
>           Embarking on the Second Wave
>
>
>
>The Continuing Tide of General Strike
>
>On January 3, 1997, the general strike that was sparked off by the
>bulldozing of an anti-worker, anti-union labour law and anti-democratic
>National Security Planning Agency Act by the ruling party in a secret
>meeting of National Assembly, entered into the second wave.
>
>  The Historic General Strike Surges into the New Year
>
>In accordance with the three phase plan for the second wave of general
>strike in the New Year laid out by KCTU president Kwon Young-kil on
>December 30, 1996, unionists returning from the New Year's Day Holiday
>early resumed the strike on January 3, 1997.  However, most of the unions
>at large companies, such as, the major car makers and shipyards whose
>holiday lasts till January 5, will resume the strike on January 6, 1997.  The
>general strike will expand to cover all sectors and industries on January 7,
>as unions in most of the public utilities, such as, the television and radio
>networks and hospitals, are set to join the second wave of the general strike.
>
>On January 3, 1997, some 46 unions, including the Kia Motors Unions,
>Daewoo Motors Union, Ssangyong Motors, Asia Motors affiliated to the
>Korean Federation Automobile Workers Unions, and the Hyundai Heavy
>Industry Union, Hanjin Heavy Industry, and Daewoo Shipbuilding Union of
>the Korean Federation of Metalworkers Unions, and the Kumho Tyre of the
>Korean Council of Chemical Workers Unions, totalling 96,158 workers took
>part in the first phase escalation of the second wave of general strike.
>
>The resurgence of the general strike put an end to much of the
>"concern" or "doubt" about the possibility of picking up the momentum of
>the general strike that had to be temporarily suspended due to the New
>Year's Day holiday.
>
>The keen "interest" in the "success" of the January 3rd strike was
>revealed in the mean attempt by the Ministry of Labour to distort and reduce
>the size of workers and union participation in the strike.  The Ministry of
>Labour released regular press reports on January 3, radically downsizing the
>strength of the strike.  The Ministry of Labour reported that only 31 unions
>and 22 thousand workers took part in the first phase escalation of the
>second wave general strike.  For example, the Ministry of Labour report
>claimed that only 1,500 members of the Daewoo Motors Union took part in
>the strike.  However, the KCTU found that this figure was only those who
>took part in the public rally and campaign the union conducted after having
>completed a union strike meeting at the factory.  In fact, some 3,500
>workers attended the strike meeting; and among them, apart from those
>who returned home or stayed on the factory picket line, 1,500 members
>went out into the downtown areas to conduct street campaigns.
>Furthermore, more than 80% of the members who were scheduled to work
>on the night shift had already made resolution to boycott the work.
>
>  The Sharpening of the Goal of the General Strike
>
>The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions had to modify its tack for the
>aims of the general strike. This was brought about by the sudden decision of
>the Korean government on December 31, 1996, to formally promulgate the
>amended labour law (to come into effect from March 1, 1997).  The
>government action can only be regarded as a calculated step to quell the
>'hopes' for a presidential veto of the amended labour law.
>
>As a result, the leadership of the KCTU, redefined the goal of the
>general strike.  In daily press conferences since the New Year's Day, the
>KCTU leadership made clear that the goal of the general strike was to bring
>about a nullification of the new labour law and the declaration of the
>government to begin a new round of (genuine) democratic discussions
>involving all the political parties, government, employers, and the unions for
>the enactment of a new labour law.
>
>President Kwon Young-kil declared that the KCTU will extend the
>massive militant action into the presidential election to bring about the
>downfall of Kim Young Sam government if the government fails to accept
>the KCTU demands for a genuine re-amendment of the labour laws.
>
>The "unexpected" or "unwanted" work out of nearly 100,000 workers on
>January 3 has laid the foundation for the second phase escalation on
>Monday January 6.  The resumption of strike by the major manufacturing
>sector unions and the fresh participation of hundreds of white collar unions
>on January 6 will set the stage for a concerted effort of the KCTU to bring
>about the nullification of the new labour law and beginning of the work for a
>democratic enactment of a new labour law in compliance with international
>labour standards.
>
>  The Popular Support for the Historic General Strike
>
>The KCTU-led general strike, the first since September general strike in
>1946 under the Japanese colonial rule, sent seismic wave across the society.
>The fact that the government, despite repeated pronouncement of the intent
>to deal severely with the leaders of the strike, has so far "failed" to arrest
>any of the KCTU leaders is an indication of the widespread popular support
>for the general strike.  Even the mass media, which tend to jump to knee-
>jerk reaction at any sign of industrial action, remained neutral, giving
>generally objective portrayal of the nation-wide general strike.
>
>The broad based public support was clearly borne out by a public survey
>published in the Hankyereh, a major national daily, on December 31, 1996.
>A public opinion survey conducted by a gallop agency at the request of the
>major opposition political party, the National Congress for New Politics,
>found that 54.5% of the people surveyed supported the general strike calling
>for the nullification of the anti-democratic, anti-worker, and anti-union
>labour
>law bulldozed through the parliament.
>
>  KCTU Pays Special Attention to Public Needs
>
>At the news conference held to make public the plan for the New Year's
>wave of general strike, president Kwon also announced that he has
>requested the subway and hospital workers to suspend their strike.  The
>decision to send the public service workers back to work, reflecting the
>elastic strategy of general strike, was aimed at reducing the public disruption
>during the holiday period.  As a result of the decision, unionists at the Seoul
>Subway and Pusan Subway returned to work immediately on December 30.
>The hospital workers returned to work from the morning of December 31.
>
>
>The Surge of the First Wave General Strike
>
>The general strike calling for the nullification of the 'new labour laws'
>commandeered by the ruling party was launched by the president Kwon
>Young-kil's declaration immediately after the news of the extraordinary
>passage of the labour law amendment bill.
>
>  The First Day
>
>The first wave of general strike was kicked off by the Kia Motors Union,
>located in Sohwa-li, about one hour's distance from downtown Seoul.
>17,000 members of the union began to assemble at the company ground as
>they reported to work.  By 10 o'clock, the union held a mass meeting, led
>by the union president Lee Jae Seung, and began to converge on the
>Myongdong Cathedral in Seoul where the KCTU's leadership had set up the
>general strike headquarters.
>
>At 10:30, unions at Hyosung Heavy Industry, Daeheung Machinery,
>Tong-il Heavy Industry, Korea Fukoku affiliated to the Korean Federation of
>Metalworkers Industry were out on strike.  Member unions of the Korean
>Hospital Workers Unions and the Korean Federation of Professional and
>Technicians Unions completed union meetings to decide on strike.  And the
>union at the Donsuh Food * the major coffee maker * led the Korean
>Council of Chemical Workers Unions into the general strike.  The
>Federation of Hyundai Group Trade Unions completed the meeting to
>prepare for the strike set to begin on 1 p.m.
>
>By 1 p.m., member unions of the Federation of Hyundai Group Trade
>Unions, the Korean Federation of Metalworkers Unions, the Federation of
>Automobile Workers Unions, completed the strike commencement rally at
>their own company grounds and began to converge at the various regional
>centres.  Hyundai Motors, Hyundai Heavy Industry, Daewoo Heavy
>Industry, and other major manufacturing sector unions joined the strike.
>Some 4,000 workers had already converged on the Myongdong Catheral
>when the first public rally of the general strike got underway around 12 noon.
>
>At the end of the day, the KCTU office in Samsun-dong Seoul was busy
>responding to the requests from journalists for the tally of striking unions
>and workers.  The 10 p.m. tally confirmed the massive wave of the general
>strike that shocked not only the government and the mass media, but also
>the KCTU office staff.  When the final tally for the first of the general
>strike
>was completed, a total of 95 unions with a total participation of 146,233
>workers were out on the strike.
>
>Furthermore, some 63 unions held meetings on December 26 deciding
>to join the general strike on the second day, December 27.  A further 17
>unions decided to join the strike wave by the third day.
>
>On the first two days of the general strike, 80 out of the 110 member
>unions of the Korean Federation of Metalworkers Unions, totaling 71,831
>workers, launched themselves into the general strike. 21 out of 34 member
>unions of the Korean Federation of Automobile Workers Unions, totaling
>52,200 workers, also joined the strike march.  15 out of 94 member unions
>of the Korean Federation of Professional and Technicians Unions also
>joined the strike on the first two days.  The Hyundai Group Trade Union
>Federation, which includes the Korea's largest car maker and world's
>largest shipyard, carried its weight in the general strike by bringing out a
>total of 79,901 workers from 13 out 20 member unions.  Seoul Subway
>Workers Union, with a membership of 9,399 workers also decided to join the
>general strike on December 28.
>
>The striking workers spilled out onto streets and converged in the
>various regional centres.  In Inchon some 3,000 workers gathered at the
>Dong-Inchon Railway Station plaza; further 3,000 gathered at the Suwon
>Railway Station plaza while another 3,000 gathered at the Kwangju Railway
>Station plaza.  The largest regional gatherings outside Seoul were in Ulsan
>and Masan-Changwon region where some 20,000 and 10,000 workers took
>part respectively.
>
>  The Second Day
>
>The expansion of the general strike on the second day was led by
>hospital workers.  14 unions, including those at the Seoul University
>General Medical Centre, Ewha Women's University General Medical Centre,
>Inchon Red Cross General Medical Centre, totalling 14,000, joined the strike.
>The Korean Federation of Hospital Workers Unions decided to maintain the
>operations at the essential sections of the hospitals by staffing the
>emergency centres, intensive care units, operation threatres, and new born
>centres to minimise the effect of the strike for the in-patients and
>urgent out-
>patients.
>
>Inspired by the recent strike of the French truck drivers, members of the
>12 unions affiliated to the Korean Federation of Truck Drivers Unions, held a
>truck-parade along the main expressway.  Some 200 trucks were involved
>in the demonstration.  The low-speed driving by the truck drivers
>succeeded in slowing down the expressway.
>
>On December 27, the Daewoo Motors joined the ranks of the striking
>workers, bringing the last of the 6 major Korean car makers into the historic
>general strike. With the additional surge, the tally of striking unions and
>unionists as the second day of the strike came to close increased to 163
>unions and 206,220 workers.
>
>Even further expansion of the general strike was foreshadowed on
>
>December 27, as the unions in the four major television and ration networks
>resolved to join the strike march.  Pusan Subway Workers Union also
>decided to join the strike.
>




     --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---



   

Driftline Main Page

 

Display software: ArchTracker © Malgosia Askanas, 2000-2005