공지사항
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- '노란봉투'캠페인/국제연대..
- no chr.!
Well, it tooks weeks until the S.K. bourgeois press reported about the hunger strike and sit-in protest of Kiryung Electronics union activists, but finally at least Korea Times today did it (likely only because of the latest dramatic development?!):
70 Days of Hunger Strike for 'Survival'
Sixty-seven days into a hunger strike in a shoddy tent pitched atop a guardhouse
at the gate of her company, Kim So-yeon, 39, the union leader of Kiryung
Electronics, was transferred to a hospital Saturday. Even lying on a hospital bed in
northern Seoul, she refuses to stop her fast, which hit 70 days Wednesday.
Kim So-yeon, right, union leader of Kiryung Electronics, and another union
member Yoo Heung-hee, sit on top of a guardhouse at the gate of the company
during their hunger strike in northern Seoul. After 67 days of the fast demanding
stable employment for temporary workers, they were taken to hospital, Saturday
Another union member Yoo Heung-hee was also hospitalized on the same day.
Their struggle has become a rallying cry for numerous temporary or contract
laborers to gain permanent status at work. Kim and Yoo went to the hospital only
after other laborers and civic groups members persuaded them to do so amid
worries over their deteriorating health due to the hunger strikes.
After receiving basic medical treatment, however, Kim now continues her fast at
the hospital. She says she is continuing it only to survive.
"The issue of temporary workers is not only about employment but also human
rights,'' Kim told The Korea Times. "You cannot easily understand the feeling of
being treated like a disposable item. It's so miserable and painful. It's hard to
describe that feeling.''
Some 10 female unionists started a hunger strike on June 11, setting up a tent
atop the guardhouse, following fruitless sit-ins of more than 1,000 days. Most of
them gave up over health problems, but not Kim and Yoo.
"I climbed up there thinking I would never walk on the ground again unless our
demands were met. Of course, it was a painful experience for women,'' she said.
As they had to live in a tent, they also had to relieve themselves inside the tent.
The unusually hot weather this summer also added to their pain.
Despite their hunger strike lasting 70 days, their cause is drawing little media
attention because of the Beijing Olympics. Their company is also turning a deaf
ear to their demands.
"You can't sleep there when it rains and you can't lie down on the ground when it's
so hot. For women, everything up there was so miserable. But the most difficult
thing was that the company ignored us,'' she said.
Kim has lost nearly 13 kilograms and now down to about 40 kilograms. She is
refusing meals, taking only water, salt and yeast.
Proxy Fight
They did not expect their fight to last this long. Non-permanent workers at Kiryung
formed a union and went on strike in August 2005 for the promotion of their job
status. Their strike laid bare unfair practices at Kiryung and other companies in
Seoul's Guro Industrial Complex, which indirectly hire temporary workers from
outsourcing companies to avoid responsibility. In 2006, a court fined the company
five million won for committing illegal hiring practices.
"If you want to talk about problems with your boss, you'll hear 'We don't need
you' and 'You are fired.' After overtime and overnight work, you will get a text
message saying 'You're fired.' We simply wanted to change these inhuman
practices,'' Kim said in a weak but firm voice.
As the strike continued, the company president sat down at the negotiating table
on June 7. He proposed taking on temporary workers permanently after "a year
of training,'' and the union accepted. The next day, however, mid-level managers
rejected the deal and everything fell apart.
Lee and other union members resorted to an extreme measure ― fast for an
unlimited period unless their demands were met.
The company says, however, that it has no legal responsibility for them since they
are not on the payroll, but simply temporary workers from an affiliate.
The union says employers take advantage of loopholes in the Labor Law that
require employers to promote the status of contract workers after two years of
employment. Most employers, however, simply terminate the contracts just
before their two-year term ends.
Kim's struggle mirrors the situation that all temporary workers face.
"I wish temporary workers wouldn't give in. A wise solution to our problems here
can be the key to solving problems facing other non-permanent workers. I think
the government should also come up with more practical steps to help resolve
this impasse,'' she said. "Until then, I will continue to fight.''
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/08/117_29690.html
Already on Monday the "left-liberal" Hankyoreh published following short report:
Kiryung Electronics strike
Kim So-yeon, who is the leader of the Kiryung Electronics’ union and has been on a hunger strike for the past 67 days, is carried by a rescue team to a hospital on August 16.
Kim and fellow union member Yoo Heung-hee, who has been having lung problems, both succumbed to union members’ requests that they go to the hospital.
The Kiryung Electronics union has been on strike for over 1,000 days, hoping that the company will convert their status from irregular to regular workers. Despite a deadlock in negotiations with the company, the union plans to continue their efforts with the added participation of civic organizations, the umbrella labor union Korea Confederation of Trade Unions and the Democratic Labor Party.
Related reports:
☞ 김소연·유흥희, 16일 오전 병원으로 (VoP, 8.16, incl. video)
☞ 기륭분회 단식자, 병원으로 이송 (참세상, 6.16)
☞ 기륭분회, 67일간의 단식 (참세상TV)
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