Korean Public and Transport Workers' News
Korean Public and Transport Workers' News
Korean Public and Transport Workers' News
Address: Cheollohoigwan 4th Floor, 739-4 Daerim 3-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, South Korea [150-815] Web: www.kptu.net Tel: +82 (0)70 43930335 Fax: +82 (0)2 4970444 Email: [email protected]
issue #2 march 19, 2013
Newsletter of the Korean Federation of Public Services and Transportation Workers Unions
The KPTU is
The Korean Federation of Public Services and Transportation Workers Unions (KPTU) is an industrial federation of unions organizing in the public, social service and transport sectors. It is run jointly with the Korean Public & Social Services and Transportation Workers Union (same acronym), an industrial union established by workers in the same sectors. The nearly 150,000 members of the KPTU (union and federation combined) include utilities and other public enterprises workers, airline and airport workers, cargo truck, bus, taxi and other transport workers, care workers working in public hospitals, patient care, childcare, homecare and long-term care institutions, cleaning and other property service workers and irregular (precarious) and regular workers working for arts & culture, professional/technical, research and other social institutions. In addition to fighting for the improvement of public, social service and transport sector working conditions, the KPTU seeks to defend and strengthen quality public services for all people. The KPTU is an affiliate of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), a national center in South Korea, and the global union federation Public Services International (PSI).
Nonetheless, many countries have experienced a trampling of public sector trade union rights, particularly in the past several years since the onset of global economic crisis. South Korea is representative of this global trend. Under its policy for the advancement of public institution labor relations the South Korean government has required that employers at public institutions eliminate irrational provisions in collective bargaining agreements, making success in this area an item for review in management evaluations. CBA provisions considered irrational include requirements for consultation with the union concerning staffing issues, excessive allowances for union activities during work hours, and benefits and wage provisions seen as too generous. In order to pressure unions to make concessions, employers have unilaterally cancelled collective bargaining agreements at dozens of public institutions and used every sort of tactic imaginable to pressure union members to disaffiliate. Hundreds of government employees and public institution workers, members of the Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU), and the KPTU, have been unfairly dismissed from their jobs in retaliation for legitimate union activities. Since 2009, moreover, the government has refused to recognize the legal union status of the KGEU, making it an extra-legal organization. It is also currently threatening to cancel the union registration of the Korean Teachers Union (KTU), another public sector union in South Korea. In addition, nearly half of the 560,000 South Korean government employees, including fire fighters and police officers, are legally prohibited from forming and joining trade unions. All of these measures are in direct violation of the ILO standards that will come under review at the ILC this June. In the lead-up to the ILC, violations of public sector trade union rights in South Korea have been receiving growing attention. In February, petitions addressed to then president-elect Park Geun-hye calling for the reinstatement of dismissed public sector union members poured in from union officers, social justice activists and academics in Asia, Europe and South and North America. On February 14, the KPTU, KGEU and KTU held a joint press conference in front of the office of Park Geun-hyes transition committee to announce and deliver the petitions. In addition, the affiliates of Public Services Internationals East Asian Advisory Committee adopted a statement calling for respect for public sector trade union rights in South Korea at their recent meeting in Macao on February 24. The KPTU greatly appreciates these demonstrations of solidarity from our brothers and sisters around the world. We will continue to struggle until all public sector workers in South Korea and globally can fully exercise their fundamental rights as workers.
(PSI) General Secretary Rosa Pavanelli sent a solidarity message to commemorate the Congress, as did PSI-Japan Council Chairperson Hideaki Tokunaga, Australian Service Union (ASU) National Secretart David Smith, Japan Confederation of Railway Workers Unions (JRU) President Takeshi Masaharu, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry, SUD Rail Executive Committee Members Emmanuelle Bigot and Fr dric Michel and CGT Public Services Federation (CGT-FDSP) President Michele Kauffer. The Congress passed KPTUs activities plan for 2013. In the first half of this year we will focus on the struggle to raise the minimum wage to a real living wage, and efforts to organize public and transport sector precarious workers to fight for regular employment. In the second half of the year we will focus on bargaining with the government concerning policies that affect public institutions. We will also continue our struggle against the privatization of the railway, utilities, healthcare and other important public services throughout the year. The Congress also voted to establish a Public Institution Organizing Division and carry out rank and file-level discussions on the best path towards building industrial power. The new KTPU leadership elected by the Congress is headed by Sang Moo Lee, who continues in a second term as president. President Lee began his involvement in the labor movement as a member and officer of the KPTUs social insurance affiliate. He is joined by General Secretary Aeran Kim, formerly the Division President of the KPTUs Healthcare Workers Solidarity Division. The Congress also elected Jongin Kim, former Division President of the KPTU Cargo Truckers Solidarity Division and President of the KPTU-affiliated Transport Workers Union, Jae-young Lee, originally from the social insurance sector and former President of the KCTU Seoul Regional Council, and Bo-hui Choi, former Branch Vice President of the KPTU Precarious Education Support Workers Division, Seoul Branch. The new leadership of the KPTU has committed to work together to 2.15 President Sang Moo Lee speaking at the Annual Congress fight retroactive public and transport sector policies, and build a stronger KPTU, KCTU, Korean and global labor movement.
AFFILIATE INTRODUCTION
Taxi Branch, Jeonil Gyotong Chapter President ends High-Altitude Protest Victorious
On March 14, Jae-ju Kim, President of the KPTU Taxi Branch, Jeonbuk Local, Jeonil Gyotong Chapter climbed down from the 30 meter transmission tower at Jeonju Sports Complex where he had stayed for 69 days. His feet touched the ground in victory. Earlier that day, over two months since he first climbed up, and more than a year since workers at Jeonil Gyotong and Wansan Gyotong, two Jeonju taxi companies, formed union chapters, employers had signed an agreement committing to respect union activities. Taxi drivers in the Jeonju area first formed union chapters on January 31, 2012 with the goal of fighting illegally low wages and precarity. From the minute the chapters were established, however, employers retailed. Union officers faced violence from the company-supported yellow union and 5
company mangers themselves. Several union officers were illegally fired, then reinstated under orders from the Labor Relations Commission, only to be fired again months later. When union members asked to be granted office space on company grounds the same rights granted the yellow union they were refused, and when they pitched a tent in lieu of an office, managers cut of the electricity. Using bargaining channel unification provisions in the Trade Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act, the employers have insisted on treating the yellow union as the only bargaining representative and refused to negotiate with the KPTU union chapters. Seeing no other option, Jeonil Gyotong Chapter President Ju-jae Kim climbed up the transition tower on January 4, 2013, committing to High-altitude protest at Jeonju remain there until the unions demands were met. Finally, his struggle
Sports Complex
paid off. After hours of tense negotiations among the KPTU, the Ministry of Labor, Jeonju City and the employers, employers at both companies agreed to respect union activities, provide office space and reinstated dismissed workers.
Chapter President Kim is now back on the ground. But there is much more work to be done. The union chapters must now organize aggressively and continue their struggle to win collective bargaining rights.
National Human Rights Commission calls for Discrimination against Asiana Airlines Cabin Crew
Correction
of
Gender
On February 4, the South Korean National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a recommendation to Asiana Airlines calling on it to correct gender discrimination in its dress code for female cabin crew. In particular, the NHRC recognized Asianas requirement that female cabin crew wear skirts while working as discriminatory and recommended that Asiana grant the option to wear pants. This NHRC recommendation was made in response to a complaint submitted by the KPTU last June in connection with the KPTU-affiliated Asian Labor Unions struggle to defend the rights of female cabin crew. The Asiana Labor Union has pointed out that forcing female cabin crew to wear skirts threatens workers health and passenger safety because it makes it impossible to dress warmly in cold weather and hinders movement during flight turbulence. The Asiana Labor Union has also been struggling against Asianas excessive pressure on cabin crew to prioritize duty free sales, subservience and service to customers above transport safety.
Notably, on March 15, Asiana Airlines announced its intentions to allow cabin crew to wear pants. This is an important improvement, but far more is needed. Over the last decade, Asiana has made profits of the backs of its cabin crew by denying them adequate rest and vacation time and forcing them to compete with one other on service, while using every means possible to break the union. We must use our success in beating back gender
2012.3.8 Press conference concerning Asianas overly restrictive appearance regulations on International Womens Day 2012
discrimination as the basis to demand that Asiana prioritize passenger safety and workers rights.
The arrests, which followed a suicide bomb attack on the U.S. Embassy in Ankara on February 1, were made based on allegations of links to terrorist organization. They represent a clear attempt by the Turkish government to link legitimate, democratic trade unions with terrorism. Sadly, using antiterrorism laws and mass arrests as tools of union repression is not new in Turkey. On April 10, the Ankara 13th Heavy Criminal Court will start the trial for 72 other KESK members and leaders who were arrested on June 25, 2012 under similar circumstances. Last February, nine female KESK members were also arrested in connection with activities commemorating International Women's Day. The KPTU stands in solidarity with our public sector sister and brothers in Turkey. As a small demonstration of support, we have issued protest statements condemning the actions of the Turkish government. We are also encouraging our members participation in the online petition campaign calling for the release of KESK members and respect for public sector trade union rights. We must fight together to stop the global attack on public sector unions and make respect for the fundamental rights of all workers a true international standard.