10,000 police defend privatisation

ICEM, 5 March 2002; Korea Times, numerous editions; Chosun.com, 25 March 2002

Six unions representing state owned enterprise workers launched a nationwide strike on 25 February in protest at the government’s determination to privatise six corporations that supply rail, gas, and electricity services for the community. The unions demanded negotiations with the government over its privatisation proposals and improvements in working conditions.

Declaring the strike illegal, thousands of police were deployed to capture 24 union leaders suspected of organising the strike to show the government’s intention to press ahead with economic reforms from state to private ownership. 17 of the targeted unionists had been captured by 4 March. International trade union centre ICEM understands that before the sale goes ahead, Korea Electric Power (KEPCO) intends to sack over 5,000 workers, replace others, and sue hundreds of trade union officers.

Over 5,000 power workers in the Korean Power Plant Industrial Union were on strike for over nine days, mainly opposing the privatisation of the electricity industry.

In a letter ICEM general secretary told ROK President Kim Dae-jung, “All of this is wholly unacceptable in a democratic society .... It constitutes a breach of the internationally recognised right to strike. We urge you to do your utmost to ensure that the arrest warrants are withdrawn immediately and that KEPCO rescinds all threats of dismissal and legal action. Your government should also negotiate sympathetically with the striking workers’ union and should press KEPCO to do likewise.”

By late March, and still on strike, the number of power generation workers who had been summarily dismissed reached 3,945 including 197 already sacked for their role in the industrial action.

On top of these dismissals, the police intended to take action against more strikers for obstruction of justice. At this time, 648 unionists had already been charged.

One power company CEO said, ‘We are planning to freeze the wages and retirement pensions of the striking workers in addition to the permanent employees of the union and the instigators.”

Dispersing workers taking refuge at Yonsei University on 25 March, the police arrested 381.

Outrageous sentence for union leader

From ICFTU OnLine, 18 March 2002

International workers organisations protested a decision to imprison Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) President, Dan Byung-ho, who was sentenced on 18 March to two years jail under laws which clearly violate international labour standards.

At the Seoul Court of First Instance, Dan Byung-ho was found guilty on five charges in 15 of the 16 cases presented by the Prosecutor’s Office. The charges include an ‘obstruction to business’ clause which is now a routine government tactic against striking workers. Mr Dan had been active in a general strike in June 2001.

Korean limits on rights to organise and to conduct collective bargaining and other trade union activities, including strikes, violate ILO Convention Nos. 87 and 98, on freedom of association, and the right to organise and to collective bargaining.

Criticising the sentence ICFTU General Secretary Guy Ryder stated, “Dan Byung-ho and the other imprisoned trade unionists are guilty only of trying to protect the interests of millions of Korean workers at a difficult time, but they have paid the price of doing so in a country where this legitimate and necessary right is flagrantly denied.”