아시아 태평양 노동자소통

Globalization. Challenge for Migrant Workers Moment

Rev.Jang Chang Woen,

 Converer of Asia Pacific Workers Solidarity Link

Introduction

The human rights concerns in the form of Migrant Workers Centre were started in about 1990 by the Korean churches.Now there are many Centers established with various kinds of programmes with different specialized ministries. The mission for the labor was started as the industries started growing.  thus the existence of URM came into being since 50 years, in order to protect the rights of the workers. The national democracy has fostered the labor organization and its education.  And for a long time the education programs have been effective among the migrant workers in many ways.  Now we are concentrating on peace and unification with equal rights for the migrants and the native labor. It is our strong hope that we soon achieve a global perspective of labor equality, gross root worker's solidarity, unhindered communication against the differences of nationality, language, cultural and races towards the glorious realization of the Kingdom Values.

We aim that the whole world would sponsor the fare wages for the labor as well as the irregular workers. The Migrant workers also need similar justice and fare chances. Most important trend is that all workers irrespective of native or migrant or irregular or trainees or any sort, to have full justice and fare treatment in all contexts of the world.

Last year, I had visited Nepal on the invitation of Nepal Labor Union, and I was giving a solidarity memorial talk on the May Day in a big meeting.  The GEFONT has about 10 year's solidarity and exchange programmes with the APWSL.  We are very cordial for the Nepal migrant workers in Korea.  I am glad to note that one of the Leaders of Nepal Migrant Union is residing in our Osan Migrant Centre, as the committee member. He lived a hard life in Korea and learnt the language so well that he has translated my present paper into Nepal language, which was received well in the May Day celebrations as key note speech. He has become now an international solidarity worker through effective media programmes.

1.      The reality of Migrant Workers in Korea

In the context of liberalization of global trade, the big companies are able to make huge benefits at the cost of hard labor of the workers.  Thus the rich is becoming richer and the poor is becoming poorer. The situation in Korea also is the same as the whole world. About 400,000 Migrantworkers are caught up with the 3D jobs (Difficult, Dangerous and Dirty jobs)   with less than minimum wages. About 60% of them are undocumented. Thus we are exploiting the workers right of "more work more pay".  Now Korean Government has started severecrackdown of undocumented migrants.  So the undocumented workers had more hardships of less payment, no Last Pay(twejikwim), manhandling, longer periods of work, animal hunt style arrests and so on.  Thisleads the migrants into a greater mental stress. But the department of Labor rights seems not able to understand the real problems of the workers.

Due to the hazardous Employment Permit System which was started in August 2004 many workers have lost their freedom of work. Arrests and crackdown and deportation have been the fate of the workers against their basic human rights.  In my centre one Philippine worker had finished his 7 years of working period in Korea and applied for the Last Pay from the company which would come to 6,000,000 won.  As the company refused to give this, he approached the Govt. Labor office. As he was returning from the Office back to his company hewas arrested by the immigration.  Police. thus he is caught up in a vicioussystem between the company, Govet Office and the Immigration.  Finally he had to leave the country with only half of the Last Pay. There are many similar cases like this.

In the beginning the migrant workers had no equal rights. Later on in 1994 when a migrant worker cut his finger in an industrial accident joined with many dismissed workers in a demonstration in Meongdong church for a long time. As a result the Migrant Workers achieved the labor rights.   Later on the KCTU started a branch called Equality of Trade Union for Migrant branch activities in 2000.  Then the Migrant Brach demonstrated against the Trainee System in which the same work is done by the trainees with less payment. Then the great tent demonstration for one year took place demanding the change of trainee system in 2004. all those who demonstrated have now made an independent Migrant Workers Union.  With the migrant workers movement, the history of Korean labor moment has started a new era with solidarity of irregular workers. 

2.      Migrant unions in Osan Migrant Workers Cultural Centre

Osan City is situated on the main National High ways and in the middle of major construction workers.  Thus the City has become the meeting place for many migrant workers.  OMWC has become a centre for Migrants Workers with solidarity of APWSL, Local Workers Union, and NGO Association.  And in 2003 all the unions made a joint committee in Dasom Church.

Now we have activates such as labor counseling, Korean Language study classes, Free health Camps, Shelter for the Migrant Workers, Media Education for the Migrants, Free Internet Caf�for the Migrants, job counseling, action n plans for labor law, Irregular workers solidarity, and so on.

Presently we have Indonesian Union, Nepal union, Sri Lanka Union and Philippine Union.  We have initiated the South Branch of Seoul, Incheon, Kyonggi Migrant Workers Union. The KCTU provides the supporting group for our activities. With all these national unions we make a strong solidarity.

On April 23 we have started the Seoul Incheon Kyonggi union started with the plan of making a nation wide 4 million migrant workers union.  But the Korean Covet unlawfully arrested Mr.Anwar who is the president of this union. And many human rights associations along with the lawyers Association are fighting against this illegal arrest. Last week we held a demonstration in front of the Immigration office with slogans of of stop animal hunt of the migrant workers, Stop Crack Down, achieve labor Visa, impeach the Suwon immigration Centre, and so on.  We have plans to repeat this many times.

3.      Historical nore on  APWSL

APWSL has been in existence since 1982 and is active in 16 countries in the Asia Pacific region. APWSL national groups function in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, China (Hong Kong), Taiwan, Japan, Korea (south), Australia

and Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Fiji.Main Activities

·involvement in building genuine trade unions in each country·support and solidarity for the worker struggles in each others country·newsletters and information sharing of the labor movement in the Asia Pacific· linking with other like-minded groups in the Asia Pacific and beyond.· In addition APWSL involves itself in specific projects such as building a network of pro-worker unions in the Asia Pacific region, the health and safety campaign, globalization, informal sectors.

During last 23years, the neo-liberal globalization resulted polarized of the poor and the rich, unstable and speculative economy, the destructed nature and devastated people's lives and society. Facing with this accumulation crisis, the global capital is accelerating neo liberal globalization to pass the pain of crisis to the people. Especially the economic colonization process is rapidly strengthened . ·People's struggle against the destruction of the human, society and nature brought by the world capital's Neo-liberal globalization is expressed as workers general strikes and various protests. ·In this circumstance, the importance and necessity of the international solidarity becomes crucial for labor and social activism.

4.  Migrant workers Issues

Basically among members of APWSL Korea, there are JCMK (Which is an advocating group for migrant workers' right in South Korea) and KOSAMAKO (Which is a Philippine migrant workers' self - organization in South Korea) Beside this routine activities APWSL Korea supported:Seoul Grantee Insistence Union Supported ETU financially. (Equal Trade union, which is affiliate to KCTU, Migrant workers branch) Actively supporting the foundation of MTU (Migrant workers Trade Union)

5. Labornetaisa. a Media for the labor across the countries in Asia.

Since 1998 we started the International labor Media Activists group and build up the Korean Progressive Labor NetworkCentre.  We have started this media devise to expose the labor exploitations and communication between labor unions across the nationals, languages, cultures, capitalistic regional groups and so on.  In this Labor net organization about 16 labor moment groups join together to make the news and views.Alternatively we meet as the national Labor media conference and the International labor media conference.  in these conferences we involve many media techniques such as the home pages of relevant organizations, internet information and so on. This is an independent broadcast   and telecast organization.

Usually the broadcasting companies including Government companies are spending about 10 thousand millions for the programmes.  But it is to be noted that the Asialabor net is spending 10% of it but involving about a million workers in the network of the communication. The quality of the communication and the facts are so closely related to the grassroots level people and their situations.  And many Live telecast is involved.  Thus the labor Asia net is the people oriented media organization.

This model we have exhibited in the event of aniti-APEC fro one week in Busan and now in anti WTO in Hong Kong. Last year we had a change of position during the provincial election programme in Buan.

Labornet media believes in making a just society with accurate information and reality of life situations.  We are people oriented press.  and we aim to change the world into the patterns of Kingdom values.

Conclusion

Migrant workers play a vital role for the labor world in the present situation of new liberalization.  They make a link of many labor issues such as extended separation from the family, multi linguistic cultures, multi cultural living together and so on.

In the Asialabor net we have provided the online internet for the regular labor and offline communication for the migrant labor.

Basically the APWSL organize, the exchange of gross root workers with information and awareness.  the Counterproposal is that we try to build up a just society for the labor irrespective of migrants or natives with human values and global community culture.

I strongly recommend all those activists to use the Asialabornet widely and help the working class with information and motivation.. Lot of inspiration can be drawn thought eh live telecast of the events and facts. the communication skills are used to revitalize the life situations of the working community.

With the emergence of democracy by throwing down the military government theKorean country experiences very important lessons.  Like Indonesia with a multicultural society having military oppression, the Korean society had the similar experiences. Now many countries face the similar situation due to capitalist influence.

Where the people network is strong the human values are strong.  .

Condemn the destructive forces and uphold the constructive visions

Stop violence and live in peace

Work is worship that creates the beautiful world for peace and prosperity.

Rev.Jang Chang Woen

Convener APWSL

http://laborasia.net -About using the Asia Labor network website "laborasia.net - Members of Different countries in Asia can use this website in their respective languages- http://laborasia.netcan be used for both online and offline for communication about the meetings, news, solidarity activities and so on - we can share the information about each country's news, data, photos, vedios, and so on, in your own language which can be translated into the languages of other countries in Asia.such as English, Korean, Indonasian, Hindi, Nepali, sinhali, tamil, and so on.- All those who have sign in into this webmaster, will be the members of this site, who will have once a year ofline conference or workshop or a meeting - We support the building up of laboutnet sites of all countries in Asia and their consolidation with the Asialabornet.- The webmaster of this site is being built by labornet-Korea and labornet-Japan togetherAsia Pacific Workers Solidarity Link invites the webmaster from each country in Asia to translate the news and information into their own language for the benefit of the local labor movements.-About using the Asia Labor network website "laborasia.net in English