BUSINESS AS "USUAL"!

AFTER TWO DAYS OF STRIKE THE

S. KOREAN GOVERNMENT LET ARREST

HUNDREDS OF TRADE UNION ACTIVISTS

After an article on Jinbonet reported in the morning the arrest of 250 female trade unionists(usually they're working in the KTX, the S. Korean high speed/bullet train) now also Korea Times(in the edition for tomorrow, 3.4) confirmed this information. (Well, it must be a special gift by the S.K. government for the coming International Day of Women Struggle!!). And according to the S.K. media much more arrests are expected soon. 

K.Times wrote following article:

Police Begin Rounding Up Striking Rail Workers

The state-run train operator has stripped more than 2,200 striking rail workers of their posts since the union leadership continued a walkout for the third straight day Friday, disrupting the country's train services.

``We've decided to take stern disciplinary action against the strikers for taking part in the illegal walkout, to end the collective action,'' Lee Chul, president of Korea Railroad (Korail), said in a press conference.

He also said that there would be no more official negotiations until the unionists report back to duty, adding management would strictly deal with the strike in accordance with the law as they are holding the public ``hostage'' to press for their demands.

Korail said the number of workers relieved of their posts was estimated at 2,244 _ 1,857 on Friday and 387 on Thursday.

Police have also begun cracking down on the work stoppages, detaining some 200 unionists on charges of illegally staging a sit-in protest in six union chapters across the country.

Police also raided the union headquarters office in Yongsan, central Seoul, confiscating boxes of documents and computer files, while setting up a special arrest unit to apprehend 11 rail union leaders on charges of illegally organizing the collective action.

They are also set to detain some 250 female attendants of the Korea Train Express (KTX), the nation's bullet train, who have been protesting their unstable job security since last Saturday.

More striking workers are likely to be taken into police custody as the government renewed its warning against the strikers that it would mobilize all possible means to end the walkout, indicating a full-scale police crackdown is imminent.

Read the full article here:

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200603/kt2006030317270410160.htm

S. Korea's semi-official news agency Yonhap reported today this:

Gov't vows stern action against striking railroad workers

The South Korean government warned the country's striking railway workers Friday to return to their jobs or face what it called the highest level of legal punishment.

"The government will continue to maintain its emergency measures without any disruptions to help minimize people's inconvenience from the strike by the (Korean) Railroad Workers' Union," said Kim Chang-ho, head of the Government Information Agency.

Kim said the government was considering "all possible measures" to deal with the illegal strike by the unionized railroad workers.

The remarks followed an emergency meeting of related ministers at the prime minister's office, which was attended by justice, transportation and labor ministers as well as the national police chief.

This was followed by another warning from the employer of the striking workers, whose head said there will be no more negotiations with the striking workers until their return.

"Although (the company) will continue to talk with the union, there will no official or unofficial negotiations," Lee Chul, head of the state-run railroad corporation, said in a news conference.

"We will take stern measures according to our regulations to make sure (the striking workers) can no longer think that they will be forgiven as in the past, even if we have to take disciplinary measures against a large number or all of the striking workers," he added.

The rather quick and harsh response came two days after about 13,000 railroad workers throughout the nation walked off their jobs Wednesday. The labor action caused an estimated loss of at least 10 billion won (US$10.3 million) for the government-funded corporation as of 3 p.m. Friday, and inconvenience for millions of public transportation users.

Korea Railroad has also relieved 2,244 of the striking officials of their posts thus far.

While the repeated threats of legal and company action are causing more workers to break ranks and return to work, most striking employees are sticking to their guns three days into the strike.

The company said the number of striking workers who returned to work has reached 30 percent as of Friday, up from some 22 percent in the previous day.

It pointed to the return of all train engineers that operate the important subway lines in and around the capital city. The subway provides essential transportation to people between Seoul and such cities as Uijeongbu, Goyang, Suwon, Ansan and Cheonan.

The forced curtailing of subway services by the strike has caused severe transportation problems in the capital area over the past few days.

Kim Myoung-hoon, the head of the railroad union, said union members have been ordered to break into smaller groups and disperse to different locations throughout the country to carry on with their walkout until the very end.

The tactic is aimed at avoiding a government crackdown on the striking workers, Kim said in an interview with a local labor newspaper. During a 2003 strike, a government crackdown resulted in the arrest of dozens of union members and company disciplinary actions against thousands of union members, he said.

More than 130 striking workers have already been detained by police while staging separate rallies throughout the nation, including in the Gyeonggi and southern Gyeongsang provinces, according to police officials, while many more were expected to face similar action amid nationwide government crackdowns.

Kim, however, said the union will not give in to such threats, saying the end of the ongoing strike is "strictly up to the company."
"If the company continues to demand the end of our strike by tabling a proposal that the union cannot accept, the union will have no choice but to face death while fighting instead of having to face an insulting submission," he said.

The union leaders said that railway employees have asked the National Human Rights Commission to arbitrate the crackdown by police, stressing that the government's actions are a clear violation of international rules governing walkouts.

The human rights commission said it is reviewing the appeal, but said in order to arbitrate the motion, all 11 of its members would need to concur that the government's emergency measures had violated the rights of workers...

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060303/610000000020060303211919E7.html

 The S.K. "left-liberal" daily Hankyoreh published yesterday following editoral:

Pushing Union to the Brink Isn't the Answer

The railway union strike has been going on for two days now, and yesterday members started rehearsing tactics that involve scattering should the police try to intervene at the sit-in. Subsequently it looks like a worst-case scenario in which there is an all-out confrontation can be avoidable.

The effects of the strike are already being felt here and there, so the public desperately wants to know how long it is going to last. It would be most desirable for there to be a quick resolution through good-faith negotiations, but just having an end to the strike will not mean all the problems are gone. The key issues are the need for more employees and the reinstatement of those who have been fired, and the formal hiring of the female attendants on the high speed rail instead of keeping them in their irregular worker status. All the issues are basically connected to government policy. The rail company remains crushed by the massive debt it was left with, and so there is little room for the management to work with.

That is what makes the government's response a problem, because nowhere do you see signs that it wants to try to resolve the situation. When negotiations broke down towards the end of last month it decided to invoke its authority to intervene and in doing so made a legal strike impossible. Forced arbitration is something the even government and ruling party once wanted to abolish, saying it excessively limited unions' right of collective action. Now the government upped the pressure on the union as soon as it went on strike by threatening to send in the riot police. Its attitude appears to be to wait until there is more public opinion critical of the union while continuously pushing it to the brink.

The government has long preached about bringing labor-business relations to a new and higher level. That of course makes sense. Labor-business relations have to be stable for the economy to go well. The premise, however, is going to be a change in how unions are viewed. Currently they are seen as objects of police suppression and control, and they need to be seen as partners in dialogue. Tactics meant to push unions around may be effective in the short-term, but the government needs to realize that it will harm relations over the long run.

http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/opinion/english_editorials/106196.html

Instead of Meeting the Demands of the Striking Railway Workers, The Government

is Sending Now the Riot Cops

Following today's S. Korean(of course bourgeois) semi-official news agency Yonhap reported:

Striking railway workers begin to disperse following police threat

Thousands of railway workers who had been rallying in eastern Seoul for the past two days began to disperse Thursday following the threat of a police crackdown, union officials said.

About 6,000 unionists from the state-run Korean Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) were leaving a train base in eastern Seoul in smaller groups to rally in different places as directed by the union leadership, the officials said.

Some unionists, mostly senior drivers, have already informed the company of their intention to return to work, raising hope for an earlier normalization of railway operations. Many others are expected to follow suit.

The move came after police threatened to send troops to disperse striking railway workers, calling the collective action illegal.

"We have yet to decide on the timing, but will soon put public forces at the site of the strike," an official at the National Police Agency said on condition of anonymity.

Another police source said the deployment would be made in the evening at the earliest to disrupt the walkout.

The threatened police measure is now ineffective in Seoul with the voluntary dispersal of striking unionists, but thousands of others at sit-in rallies at regional bases are still under pressure.

Police obtained court-issued warrants to arrest 11 union leaders on charges of orchestrating the illegal strike.

About 12,800 unionists, almost half of the 25,510 members of the union, went on strike in the early hours of Wednesday, a holiday in South Korea, despite a government warning of a crackdown on illegal strikes by public workers.

They demand higher pay, better working conditions and reinstatement of fired colleagues.

The National Labor Relations Commission said Tuesday it would arbitrate the strike, mandating a 15-day cooling off period by unionists. The commission's decision to arbitrate makes the railway workers' strike illegal.

Unionists continued to strike for a second day Thursday as overnight negotiations to end the strike broke down with no progress.

The impact of the strike began to be felt Thursday morning as people went back to work and students started school after the holiday.

In the capital area, the strike curtailed subway services operated by the company by 30 percent of the normal level, leaving many of the country's train commuters stranded on crowded platforms during the morning rush hour.

Subway operations between Seoul and the western satellite city of Incheon fell to the 40 percent of normal.

KORAIL operates the country's national passenger and freight railways and jointly operates three subway lines with Seoul Metro Subway.

In Daejeon, 164 kilometers south of Seoul, the number of high-speed KTX trains passing through the city was cut to 48 from 100, forcing passengers to use express buses instead.

Tickets for KTX trains from Seoul to Busan, the country's second-largest city, were sold out in the morning hours of the day, except for seats in business class, because of the smaller number of trains in service.

No official data on losses from the strike are available yet, but the nation's container, cement and oil companies were hit hard, according to company officials.

Government officials said about half of the container-carrying trains from Busan to Seoul were canceled.

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060302/610000000020060302155321E2.html

Tomorrow's(3.3) Korea Times:

Rail Workers Break Up to Avert Crackdown

Here you can read a article(aeh~ better said: baiting) in the

ultra-reactionary Chosun Ilbo:

Commuter Nightmare on Second Day of Rail Strikes

And here you can read what the - also very right-wing - JoongAng Ilbo

is writing today:

Rail snarl enters 3rd day, no sign of a settlement

WHILE THE RAILWAY WORKERS

WENT ON STRIKE - THE GOVERNMENT

WILL ANSWER WITH A NEW

WAVE OF REPRESSION

Since today, 3.1, 1 a.m., the majority of the unionized railway workers, organized in the Korean Federation of Railwy Workers' Trade Unions/KCTU, are in general strike. Their demands: higher wages, an increase in personnel and the reinstatement of dismissed workers.

But while ... just want that the authorities meet their demands, the government is threatening them with police, prosecution and prison(DEMOCRACY A LA S. KOREA..).

2.25. Railway workers in preparing for the strike on one of

Seoul's main subway stations

Yonhap, S. Korea's  semi-official news agency wrote today following:

S. Korea's railway union goes on strike

South Korea's railway union went on strike Wednesday despite threats of prosecution after negotiations derailed over working conditions and the reinstatement of dismissed employees.

With thousands of members looking on, the union leaders declared the start of the strike at 1 a.m. at the Seoul depot, disrupting the nation's railway services.

The National Labor Relations Commission had banned the strike, ruling Tuesday that it will arbitrate the dispute between the union and the state-funded Korea Railroad (KORAIL).

The commission has the authority to intervene in labor conflicts in sectors critical to the national economy. Its decision to arbitrate mandates a 15-day "cooling-off" period by unionists.

KORAIL workers are demanding better working conditions and the reinstatement of dismissed colleagues, which the company's management refuses to accept.

"Most of the railway workers' demands are not subject to negotiation," Labor Minister Lee Sang-soo said. "As the labor commission has decided to arbitrate the labor row, if the railway workers go on strike, it will be illegal."
The government will use dialogue to meet the labor's reasonable demands, he added.

The police are seeking to arrest 10 KORAIL union leaders after receiving arrest warrant for them.

"We asked them by phone to appear for questioning but they didn't comply with our demands. So we asked for the arrest warrants," said an official at the National Police Agency.

The prosecution, for its part, also said they would be tough on all employees involved in the proposed strike.

"If the unionized workers ignore the government warning and resort to an illegal walkout, we will hunt down its organizers," an official at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said. "We will seek an arrest warrant for the head of the union."
KORAIL gave its workers until 9 a.m. to return to work or face administrative actions, including dismissal. It said that 16,388 workers are taking part in the strike. About 1,000 have returned to work in compliance with company orders.

In response to the warnings issued by government officials and prosecutors, KORAIL union leaders said they cannot accept state arbitration that effectively limits laborers' rights.

"Unless the management relents on its hard-line stance, we have no choice but to insist on a walkout," a union spokesman said. He added that government intervention will only complicate matters that should be handled within the corporation.

Read the full article here:

http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20060301/610000000020060301171329E3.html

Last morning, the first gathering of the striking railway workers

(source of the pics: 참세상)

Read more about it in S.K. daily newspapers:

Korea Times, a bourgeois daily published following article:

Railway Strike Disrupts 60% of Services

Korea Herald(nearly just the same like K. Times) wrote already 2.25:

Seoul warns... rail unions against illegal strikes

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/site/data/html_dir/2006/02/25/200602250032.asp?kpage=7&kppage=0&scode=FA&art_id%22=  

Of course, as soon we know about new developments, we will report about it!!

And finally here you can read how the S.K. government was dealing with strikes of the railway workers in the past - June, 2003, for example:

Mass Strikes in South Korea: The Government calls for Police and Public Prosecutor 

(source: jinbonet/base21, 2003)

VICTORY! NHRC OCCUPATION IS OVER!

Let's fight together!

ONE WEEK OCCUPATION OF NHRC

Saturday was day 6 of the occupation of the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) and the 57th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This morning (12.10) at about 10 am, the Korean government held ceremonies to commemorate the annivesary. In the ceremonies, the Minister of Justice, Chan Cheon-bae, gave awards to organizations and individuals who promote human rights for all. As part of their cultural program, they also had migrant workers sing traditional songs from their home countries and participate in the ceremonies.

In order to point out their hypocrisy, MTU members and some 60 supporters joined the ceremony to protest the the NHRC's decision to support the Immigration Department's unlawful detention of Anwar Hossain, MTU's president, the crackdown on undocumented migrant workers, the recent arrest of yet another MTU leader, and the Korean government's unwillingness to grant basic working rights to migrant workers. One demonstrator was ejected peaceably from the ceremony for shouting, "Stop Crackdown!" The other protesters held signs reading, "Stop ignoring migrant workers!" and "Recognize Migrant Workers' Rights!"

"Last night (Sat., 12.10) we went to a program at Hanyang University that was organized by (or maybe for?) the mothers of martyrs from the dictatorship era. This program was mainly entertainment, but at the end, we got to give a really quick little speech explaining who we are and what the demands are. I say "we" because I was paraded up on stage with the real migrant workers. It was good exposure for MTU because there were a couple of thousand people there, but it wasn't anything "action" oriented. I rarely know what we are going to do ahead of time- I just follow along and do what I'm told. It's still really difficult to get questions answered.", one comrade reported later in the following morning.

About yesterday, Sunday, 12.11, following was reported from the spot:

"Today folks are out in Incheon, Dongdaemun and elsewhere organizing and just a few of us are holding down the fort at the office. The nights here are packed with people and during the day there are constantly people coming and going. It's nearly impossible to sleep at night because of all of the meetings that can't happen during the day, so folks are looking a little tired and catching naps whenever and wherever they can. Still though, everyone seems to be holding up well. Spirits are high even though they are sometimes tense and the Korean government seems to be getting a little nervous about how much press we are generating. We were on KBS two or three separate times yesterday- first the protest at the human rights celebration and then a really long piece on Radhika getting deported and a third really emotional piece about two men from Bangladesh who lost fingers in industrial accidents here and can't go back home for the shame of no longer being able to provide for their families. It was a good media day, even if 2/3 of the reasons for being on the news really sucked."

Radhika is still in Mok-dong Detention Center, it was reported yersterday (12.11). It looks like she'll be there until the 14^th or 15^th, but she really wants to go home. She said that being a femaledetainee is really humiliating. They have cameras in their rooms, thebathrooms, everywhere so they have absolutely no privacy. It sounds like she is having a really awful time.

And as I remember, and I remember very well, Mok-dong Detention Center is just a rat hole. If you must stay there longer than few days you can become easily complete crazy. This is definitely not a place for human beings!!!

Here you can read more about Comrade Radhika:

http://blog.jinbo.net/CINA/?pid=377

A Korean report about Saturday you can read here:

http://www.nodong.com/zero/view.php?id=sokbo&page=1&sn1=&divpage=2&sn=off&ss=on&sc=on&select_arrange=headnum&desc=asc&no=7083

The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) has posted an appeal for solidarity with MTU’s struggle. The entire text you can read here:
http://www.iuf.org/cgi-bin/dbman/db.cgi?db=default&uid=default&ID=2504&view_records=1&ww=1&en=1

Répression du MTU (by Inprecor, France, but it was already written last Oct.)

http://www.inprecor.org/510/Coree_pierrerousset.htm

Dec. 5, the beginning of the occupation of NHRC

Today, Dec. 6, the morning press conference in the occupied NHRC

Demand the Immediate Release of Anwar Hossain, President of MigrantWorkers' Union, KCTU! Stop Crackdown on Migrant Workers!

A. Hossain behind bars, in the "Immigration Processing Center", aka prison in Cheonju

The 2nd part of the documentary you can see here: here, incl. articles of tomorrows bourgeois Korean newspapers.

<원자폭탄 Original Child Bomb>, 캐리 쇼느게블, 2003, 57분, 다큐, 미국

원자폭탄과 핵무기의 위험성과 파괴력은 쉽게 이야기하지만, 실제로 그것이 가진 파괴력이 어떠한지를 상상하기란 어려운 일이다. 토마스 머튼의 시 "Original Child Bomb"에 영감을 얻어 만든 이 영화는 핵폭탄의 발생과 그것의 사용에 따른 인간의 희생에 관한 명상적인 영화이다. 영화의 초반부에 재현되는 사진가는 히로시마에 투하된 원폭을 공중에서 촬영한 미공군으로, 전쟁이 끝난 후 수도원에 들어가 영원히 침묵을 지켰다고 한다. 그리고 같은 수도원에 살았던 토마스 머튼이 핵무기의 탄생과 히로시마와 나가사키에서의 원폭투하에 대해 쓴 시가 바로 "Original Child Bomb"이다.

핵폭탄은 버섯모양의 구름으로 우리에게 친숙한 이미지이지만, 핵무기가 사람들에게 미친 엄청난 피해와 고통에 관한 사진 자료들은 오랫동안 공개되지 못했다. 이 영화는 희생자의 관점에서 히로시마와 나가사키에 원폭이 투하된 1945년을 재구성하기 위해 기밀리스트에서 제외된 자료 화면과 사진, 그림과 애니메이션을 사용한다. 여기에 당시 히로시마와 나가사키에서 사람들이 죽어가는 고통스러운 광경을 목격한 생존자들의 목소리가 더해진다. 영화는 전문가가 아닌 평범한 사람들을 중심으로, 그 날 그곳에 있었던 어머니, 형제, 군인들의 증언을 담고 있다.

그토록 파괴적인 핵무기의 위협은 현재까지 이어지고 있다. 시적이고, 명상적인 화면과 음악으로 채워진 이 영화는 핵폭탄으로 일그러지고 뭉개진 사람들의 고통과 아픔이 지금도 여전히 계속되고 있음을 강조한다. 핵무기를 둘러싼 세계적인 논쟁과 정치적 수사, 핵무기를 보유한 국가들과 그것을 보여주는 화면들은 이 영화가 그저 지나간 과거의 고통에 대한 애도나 명상이 아님을 보여준다. 점점 격렬해지고, 빠르게 지나가는 화면들과 아이의 속삭임은 지금 현재 핵무기가 유포하는 위험과 위기에 대한 경고이자 각성과 행동의 촉구이다.

지난 달 한국 원폭 피해자 2세 김형율씨의 사망으로 원폭피해에 대한 문제가 언론을 통해 보도되었지만, 여전히 우리는 핵에 관한 한 무지하고, 또 무관심하다. 해방 60주년을 맞는 올 2005년이 원자폭탄이 떨어진 지 60년이 되는 해라는 것을 기억하는 이도 드물다. 원폭 문제가 대물림되고 있고, 그래서 아직도 보이지 않는 곳에서 방사능과 낙진의 고통에 시달리고 있는 사람들이 있다는 사실을 그동안 외면해온 탓이다.

6월 반딧불은 김형율씨 사망을 계기로 국내 원폭 피해 2세들의 인권을 이야기하는 자리를 마련하고자 한다. 올해 인권영화제 상영작인 <원자폭탄>은 핵무기가 가진 엄청난 파괴력과 그것이 인간에게 미치는 비극과 고통의 무게를 여실히 느끼게 해주는 작품이다. <원자폭탄> 상영 후에는 반핵평화운동의 차원에서 핵무기 확장 반대의 중요성을 다시 되짚어보고, 반핵의 의미를 살릴 수 있는 공익광고 만들기가 진행된다.

△ 때와 곳 : 6월 25일(토) 늦은 3시, 영상미디어센터 미디액트 대강의실
△ 상영작 : <원자폭탄 Original Child Bomb>
△ 부대행사 : 건강세상네트워크 강주성 대표에게 들어보는 원폭 피해 2세들의 인권과 반행평화를 위한 공익광고 만들기

RTV 웹편집팀(WebEditor)      기사 전송     인쇄하기

이주노동자세상’은 이주노동자들이 직접 기획하고 제작한 이주노동자들의 본격 퍼블릭액세스 프로그램. 시민방송의 시민제작지원센터 CNC(CItizen's Network Center)는 이주노동자들에게 촬영과 편집을 교육하고 기타 필요한 지원을 제공한다. 이 프로그램을 만들고 있는 이주노동자의 방송(Migrant Workers Television)에는 현재 외국인 노동자 8명과 이들을 돕는 한국인 지원자 5명이 참여하고 있다. 월 1회, 매월 제3주 토요일 밤 10시 방송(재방 : 일요일 오전 8시). 5월1일은 115주년을 맞는 노동절. 노동절을 기념해 한국의 노동조합과 이주노동자 문제를 조명한다. 이주노동자노동조합 결성식과 버마민주화를 위한 서명 현장을 찾아보고 노동3권의 현실과 이주노동자의 인권상황을 다시 짚어본다. 한국 버마행동 대표 뚜라가 취재했다.   명암 이주노동자 가정을 위한 어린이날 행사(왼쪽)와 아기 양육을 걱정하는 이주노동자 가족. “미등록 문제로 평소 자유로운 외출이 어려워 가족들과 편히 놀러갈 기회도 없었는데 모처럼 즐거운 시간을 보냈습니다.” 지난 5월5일 한강시민공원에서 열린 ‘외국인노동자 자녀와 함께하는 어린이날 무지개축제’. 한국이주노동자건강협회가 주최한 이날 행사에는 필리핀, 몽골 등 아시아 각국의 이주노동자 가족과 한국인 가족 등 3백여 명이 어울려 동심의 시간을 보냈다. (오른쪽)“산달이 가까워지자 해고를 당했어요. 아기가 병을 앓고 있는데 보험이 안 돼 안타깝습니다. 남편 아짐 아메드(방글라데시, 프레스공)가 한국에 온 지는 14년째예요. 저도 아이만큼은 꼭 한국에서 기르고 싶지만 양육이 어려운 상황이에요.”  이주노동자들이 겪는 5월의 명암을 마붑(방글라데시)이 취재했다. 부처님오신날 조계사 공연(왼쪽)과 축제에 참여한 이주노동자를 취재하는 이주노동자의 방송 최춘화씨 5월8일 조계사에서 열린 부처님오신날 행사에는 네팔, 몽골, 스리랑카 등의 활동가들뿐 아니라 많은 불교도 이주노동자들이 참여해 성황을 이루었다. 프로그램 바로가기 * '이주노동자의 방송'에서 이주노동자 관련 제보를 받습니다      이주노동자의 방송(MWTV)     http://www.mwtv.or.kr      담당 : 마붑  010-7759-5952 ,   02-6366-0621,     equal916@hotmail.com

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