Post by Sunday at midnight.
A NOTE TO ALL POSTERS: SOME OF YOU ARE DOING THIS CORRECTLY, SO IGNORE THIS NOTE. HOWEVER, THE REST OF YOU: PLEASE POST SOMETHING DEALING WITH COLLECTIVE ACTION. DISCUSSIONS OF ESTABLISHED STATE POLITICAL PARTIES, GEOPOLITICS, OR POLITICS IN GENERAL WILL NOT COUNT AS A COMPLETED ASSIGNMENT. THIS IS A SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND COLLECTIVE ACTION COURSE. FIND STORIES ABOUT THAT--HOW GROUPS THAT ARE OUTSIDE THE FRAMEWORKS OF CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS OF POWER ATTEMPT TO GET INVOLVED IN THE DEBATE ABOUT POWER, AND HOW CURRENT ARRANGEMENTS OF POWER INTERACT WITH THEM.
FROM THIS POINT ON, I WILL NOT GRANT POINTS TO POSTS THAT SIMPLY DISCUSS LEGISLATION, POLITICAL PARTIES, ELECTIONS, OR OTHER ESTABLISHED FORMS OF CONFLICT--UNLESS IT DISCUSSES SOME FORM OF COLLECTIVE ACTION OPPOSITION AS WELL.
SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AND COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOR ARE EMERGENT PHENOMENA: THEY SET THEIR OWN RULES, IN THE ATTEMPT TO INFLUENCE NOVEL ARRANGEMENTS OF POWER.
Discussions of LEGISLATION, POLITICAL PARTIES, ELECTIONS, OR OTHER ESTABLISHED FORMS OF CONFLICT are fine if they include how social movements on the outside work with or against them.
As Oliver says, social movements have a required form of non-institutional crowd actions and collective behavior in public. Please concentrate on stories concerning this.
There are plenty of stories across East Asia and Europe to choose from. Collective action is a very common thing.
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1. Mark Whitaker
2. The Continuing Story of Repression of Collective Action in the Lee Administration
3. Last week, I posted many comments connected to Tilly's "polity model"--the idea that forms of social movements evolve in reflection and interaction with state actions of selective encouragement and repression of collective action. Thus social movements themselves are related to more than the desires of the social movement organizations or desires of social psychology of the actors involved.
This story shows that government is turning illegal itself, in attempt to use repression to stop collective action and defend its policy.
Of course repression, as we have seen, has a 'differential recruitment' effect: sometimes it works for some groups, sometimes it fails to work and only animates more collective action.
If anything, social movements and collective action have regrouped after the heavy repression of the 2008 opposition to President Lee's policies--already calling for his impeachment after only 100 days in office for him then.
Some things to watch in the news over the next few weeks, I suggest:
1. the collective action of multiple minority parties working together like SMO's getting together for a common mobilization in the regional elections against the river dredging. Previously these parties were highly counter-oppositional. Now they stand together. We shall see what happens by the June 2 regional elections.
2. the repression of the regional MBC administration heads. 14 of them are meeting collectively soon in Seoul to discuss potential collective action.
3. The Lee government's firing of the leaders of the now organized all governmental workers union--that the government currently refuses to consider legal. Of course social movements organize to redefine the basis of what is legal and illegal, what is moral and immoral.
4. the multi-religious collective actions against the river dredging of the Lee administration.
5. huge amount of union repression under the Lee administration everywhere it appears.
6. The scale of grievances in South Korea is perhaps at an all time high against President Lee's policies and actions--see his own government's poll below. And social organizations are finding novel ways to mobilize in the very repressive and state-media dominated framework that his party has imposed. Only 3% think his GNP dominated National Assembly is trustworthy--80.4% say they mistrust the National Assembly, and only 20% trust the court system to return just verdicts.
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Editorial] On Lee administration’s application of law and order
“Law and order” is one of the Lee Myung-bak administration’s most frequently emphasized expressions. In a report to President Lee yesterday, the Justice Ministry announced its intent of making 2010 a year of “establishing advanced law and order” and that it would be rooting out the source of all violent protests and politically-motivated illegal group activity. The president himself has said, “For all citizens, regardless of status, gender and age, law and order must become a part of daily life if we are to enhance the nation’s prestige and become an advanced state.”
No one would dispute the idea that we should create a peaceful society where all citizens observe the law. But in reality, a distorted form of law and order is running rampant. What is gaining force is not the proper kind of law and order where all people are considered equal before the law, but a false kind of law and order exercised discriminately according to inclinations of those in power. In such a situation, the public has only grown more cynical the more law and order has been emphasized.
On December 22, the Seoul Central District Court began its trial of a case that clearly shows how much contempt for the law the police, one of the principal players in maintaining law and order, now demonstrate. The case was filed by Lee Mi-na, a 23-year-old student in Seoul National University’s Korean music department who suffered multiple injuries during a candlelight vigil demonstration in June 2008, including having her head stomped on with military boots. Lee has sought damages, and despite the repeated orders of the presiding judge, the police are refusing to present information about any disciplinary measures being taken against the individual responsible. The judge has insisted that the information is critical in determining responsibility for the damages, yet the police have stubbornly refused to cooperate. Even when the frustrated judge visited the National Police Agency in August to investigate the documents firsthand, the police reportedly refused to comply and said it was impossible to know the documents’ whereabouts.
At this point, the police seem more like mobsters who protect their cronies by any means necessary rather than an institution responsible for enforcing the law.
Police authorities are not the only body in charge of maintaining law and order that is ignoring the law. In fact, it would be more appropriate to say that a trend of ignoring the law has drifted down to the police from above. Prosecutors have been ordered to submit trial records for the Yongsan tragedy, yet still refuse to present more than 3,000 pages of records.
[Yongsan was a collective action of residents to avoid the destruction of their building--in an area the Lee Adminstration wanted to have redeveloped. They ended up dead after heavy police SWAT team attacks on their building led to an out of control fire that burned many alive. This type of heavy state repression on current residents of real estate and the resident's collective action occurs widely in China.]
Moreover, the Lee administration has been applying arbitrary legal standards in its war of annihilation against forces critical against its policies, including public servant unions like the Korean Teachers and Education Workers‘ Union (KTU, Jeon Gyo Jo) and the Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU).
When legal standards have been called into question, all the talk about law and order amounts to nothing more than naught. Before going on about law and order, the administration needs to first look at how fairly it is applying the law. When law and order is pertains to the public and not the government and police authorities, it is simply a tool for a dictatorship parading as democracy.
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
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http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/395242.html
2.
03-22-2010 18:30
Loss of Public Trust
Korea's Parliamentary Democracy in Deeper Crisis [Well, I would say that the current party rule is what is causing the crisis]
You could lose everything [and facilitate much more collective action mobilization and conscience mobilization to support social movements] if you lose the trust of others. No one can let this simple saying go in one ear and out the other.
In particular, politicians, policymakers, businesspeople and other noted figures should make concerted efforts to win people's trust. But in South Korea, many elected post holders seem to care less about this valuable virtue in their political life. Regrettably, one of the least trustworthy groups in our society is lawmakers and their political parties.
According to a recent survey commissioned by the Presidential Committee on Social Cohesion, only 3 percent of 2,012 adults said they trust the National Assembly, while 80.4 percent gave the opposite answer. The executive branch and the judiciary also received poor support, if not worse. Less than 20 percent of those polled said they trust the government and the courts, while about 40 percent said they cannot trust these institutions. What a shocking finding this is!
The survey undoubtedly sent a message that the nation has been thrown deeper into a crisis [by the current administration] of the democratic system. The loss of trust more or less negates the existence of the three pillars of a democracy ― the legislature, the administration and the judicature. How can the National Assembly find its raison d'etre for representative parliamentary democracy? The deep-rooted distrust in the Assembly apparently stems from rampant corruption and incompetence of its members. [The two main parties the GNP and DP both only have around 30% support in polls. That is why the social movement coordination of all the minority parties against them in the regional elections is so interesting to me as collective action.]
Legislators must realize how much the people are fed up with ceaseless cases of illegal political fund scandals, influence peddling, bribery, frequent violent conformations among members of rival parties in the Assembly halls and their dog-eat-dog partisan struggles. Voters have no other choice but to feel only frustration and anger at lawmakers who renege on their mandate to legislate laws as the representatives of the people. It is almost impossible to expect the members of the Assembly to bide by laws they have made.
In the eyes of voters, most legislators of both governing and opposition parties are seen as trying to stand above the law and reign over the people. During their electioneering period, candidates usually churn out empty promises only to clinch Assembly seats. Once elected, they take no time to turn their backs on voters and forget their campaign pledges. They often tell countless lies that they would work hard to protect the interests of the people and the nation. But they are all preoccupied with partisan struggles, while neglecting their legislative activities.
Against this backdrop, it is hard to see the democratic checks and balances functioning properly. Government officials are also mired in negligence, incompetence, bureaucracy and corruption. Judges are no different although they shout judicial reform. There will be no future for the nation unless revolutionary measures are taken immediately. A society without trust among its members is doomed to fall apart. It's time for creative destruction [I don't know what he means to say by 'creative destruction'--social movements?] to restore trust and rebuild democracy.
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http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/03/137_62798.html
3.
1. Mark Whitaker
2. Cutting out public space and time options for collective behavior by Lee Administration
3. The polity options in Korea for redressing grievances grows ever thinner. Additional to this is the banning of public squares in Seoul from being 'public' use (i.e., only government allows certain uses) instead of as a source for collective behavior crowds.
This was found unconstitutional to have such a law banning rallies at night (introduced under the dictatorship), so what does the current GNP dominated National Assembly do? They attempt to pass a stronger law against the ruling of SK's own Supreme Court!
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[Editorial] GNP bill is an unconstitutional infringement of freedom of assembly
The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) introduced a bill yesterday that would amend the Assembly and Demonstration Law to ban nighttime outdoor assemblies from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. This is a follow-up measure in response to the Constitutional Court decision in September ruling the law’s ban on nighttime outdoor assemblies unconstitutional and calling for the law’s revision, but it is questionable whether the bill accords with the intention of the court’s decision. [to put it mildly!]
More than anything, the GNP bill runs counter to Paragraph 2, Article 21 of the Constitution, which bans requiring permits for demonstrations.
[Political Opportunity for collective behavior:] In last year’s Constitutional Court decision, five justices handed down the majority opinion that the article bans not only permits based on the nature of the assembly, but also permits based on time and place of assembly. As they agreed that refusing to permit all outdoor assemblies after sunset runs directly counter to the Constitution, the bill proposed by the GNP to establish the times in which nighttime assemblies are banned also runs counter to the Constitution.
Fundamentally, because the Constitution bans the permit system for assemblies, it is improper to propose a law that establishes times in which protests are banned.
Moreover, the GNP bill is a regressive form of the current Assembly Law. Even the current law has room to allow nighttime protests as long as protesters maintain order, but the suggested bill would ban all demonstrations from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Arbitrary crackdowns by police would grow more serious. As it would result in comparatively greater restrictions of the freedom of assembly, a basic right of the people, the bill runs directly counter to the meaning of the Constitutional Court’s decision.
In this regard, it is not desirable to limit the discussion over the Assembly Law revision bill to discussing the set times to ban assemblies. Rather, it would be better to consider a diverse number of plans to broaden the right to assemble.
A plan must be formulated to harmonize public safety and order with the freedom to assemble, for example, by creating a semi-judicial and independent committee to decide assembly-related matters in order to block the police from overstepping their authority to virtually grant permits for assemblies.
The GNP must not insist on passing its own bill, but rather must work to faithfully attain a social agreement. As the Constitutional Court set June as the deadline to amend the Assembly Law, sufficient time remains to discuss a desirable alternative. If the GNP rushes to railroad the bill in February according to its own wishes, more controversy and protests regarding its constitutionality will occur as a result.
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
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http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/405082.html
4.
1. Mark Whitaker
2. SMOs that opposed the pre-1987 SK dictatorship now getting back together in common 'target' of Lee Administration
3. Remember what Zald/Mayer argued: the organizational basis of collective action instead of the psychological view of it alone. Interesting that the same SMOs from different walks of life are now appealing to each other in what Zald/Mayer called the common 'target' for mobilization
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[Editorial] Reviving the democracy movement
Eight groups associated with the democracy movement, including the Korea Democracy Foundation, gathered together yesterday in what was said to be their first such meeting.
Together, they made plans to declare 2010, the 50th anniversary of the April 19 Revolution and the 30th anniversary of the May 18 democracy movement, as the “year for carrying on the spirit of the democratization movement,” and to carry out various related efforts.
This plan to encourage people to remember that South Korea’s history of democratization has more than just ceremonial significance.
It demonstrates a refusal to allow history to be reduced to a stuffed specimen and a determination to carry on that spirit in a new day. Its significance can be viewed as even greater in times such as today, when denigration of the democratization movement is rampant.
Some conservatives disparage democratization as a political movement divorced from reality, but this is nothing more than a distortion of history. The movement for democracy has had the specific goal of creating a society where all people are treated as true human beings. The core of the democracy movement is in guaranteeing everyone the political, economic and social rights to express their will and determination. This is not mere superficial political sloganeering, but an issue that touches upon all aspects of our lives. In spite of this, certain conservatives are hard at work separating democratization from industrialization and casting aspersions on the history of democratization.
Democracy in South Korea is currently faced with a serious crisis. The government is unilaterally pushing its own agenda, with a total disregard for adhering to even a minimal level of procedure and principle. A clear demonstration of this can be seen in the results announced yesterday for a Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice poll on the first two years of the Lee Myung-bak administration. Sixty-seven percent of respondents gave a negative assessment, and the first problem they pointed to was “one-sided and self-righteous behavior.” Furthermore, the gap between the rich and poor is growing wider by the day, under a government that took office with claims that it would save the economy. The government treats even the concept of “economic democratization” as some type of outdated slogan.
The opposition parties also bear a large part of the responsibility for the situation reaching this point. They have been unable to rein in a government that presents a threat to democracy, nor have they presented any alternative measures closely connected with people’s lives in order to carry on and expand upon the original meaning of democratization. In this regard, neither progressive political forces nor reformist ones have had anything special to offer.
The government needs to humbly reflect upon why moves to revive the spirit of the democracy movement have been gaining force once again. Opposition parties, for their part, should feel the weight of their responsibility to revive hopes for and faith in democracy. The traditions of the democracy movement, where the people pursue direct action when politicians fail to live up to their expectations, are still alive and well.
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
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http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_editorial/406200.html
5.
1. Mark Whitaker
2. Lee Administration fires 18 government workers for taking part in collective action
3. The stakes for this form of union mobilization are very extreme in Lee's Korea, after just two years in power. States can provide incentives or costs for different kinds of collective action.
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18 government employees fired for KGEU launch ceremony
Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS) is banning all KGEU activities in an effort to prevent the union from functioning
» Members of the now-united Korean Government Employees Union (KGEU) hold their launching ceremony at Seoul National University, March 20. [interesting symbolic location, right?]
The Lee Myung-bak administration has decided to dispense heavy-handed punishments to the government employees who attended the launching ceremony of the Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU) and a rally of union leaders on March 20 and expel union leaders who actively participated from public office.
The KGEU said the launching ceremony is an event that has been held annually since 2003, and that the Lee administration is misusing its authority to hand out heavy punishments without asking questions in order to repress government employee unions critical of the government.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Security (MOPAS) said Wednesday that KGEU, which had its foundation notification documents returned on two occasions by the Ministry of Labor, had violated the law by pushing though with a launching ceremony after issuing protests.
MOPAS said it has made the decision to fire 18 union leaders, including 13 headquarters heads including KGEU Vice Chairman Park Yi-jae (an employee at Masan City Hall) and Secretary General Ra Il-ha (an employee at Anyang City Hall).
It also plans to punish all government employees who attended the rally after confirming their identities.
Union Chairman Yang Seong-yun (an employee of Seoul’s Yangcheon-gu Office) was fired by Seoul City Hall in November of last year for violating the legal ban on civil servants engaging in collective actions by taking part in a rally to “condemn government repression of government employee unions” in July of the same year.
MOPAS regards the KGEU as an illegal group [despite meeting since 2003?] and is not allowing any activities to take place under that name.
Lee Song-ok, head of MOPAS’s Civil servant Association Policy Division, said MOPAS plans to block KGEU branches from establishing offices and said union offices currently using the KGEU name must take down their signs.
It also banned government employees from hanging banners or posters with the KGEU name, distributing so-called “propaganda materials” using the KGEU name, or holding picket demonstrations using the KGEU name.
If the union homepage is run under the KGEU name, it will be blocked at offices. If a government employee does violate one of these regulations, MOPAS has decided it will levy up to 5 million Won ($4,384) in fines in accordance with the Labor Union and Labor Relations Mediation Law. By banning all activities under the KGEU name, the ministry has virtually rendered the union unable to function.
In response, KGEU spokesman Yun Jin-won said the Lee Myung-bak government’s attempt to kill the government employees union has reached an extreme level.
Yun said a launching ceremony is a right of the union, and to regard this as illegal and severely punish participants is unjust.
In response to MOPAS’s decision to designate KGEU as illegal, Yun said KGEU is not illegal, but rather a union currently preparing to be founded. He said the union filed a suit on March 9 in an administrative court to overturn the Labor Ministry’s atypical decision to return KGEU’s foundation notification documents, and until the court issues a decision, the union is legal.
The notification system was created as part of a system to recognize that workers were forming unions as part of their Constitutionally-guaranteed rights. No one is required to obtain permission from the government to exercise his or her Constitutional rights, and prior to the Lee administration, notifications of new unions have been accepted, as long as there have been no serious problems.
Meanwhile, the Labor Ministry, which twice returned the KGEU’s foundation notices in December of last year even though the notices are not supposed to undergo fierce scrutiny, returned its foundation notification documents a third time on Wednesday, saying KGEU could be disqualified because previously fired employees and duty managers are eligible to sign up and participate. [so categorically if government members were fired, they are seen by the current administration of actually being denied their collection action rights of organization and complaint for their whole life!]
Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]
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http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/412231.html
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Zhangyu (26/03)
ReplyDeleteU.S. Senate passes revised "fixes" package to healthcare law
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The House on 10:47 at March 21 passed the Senate version of healthcare bill, which was later sent to Obama for his signature, and then passed the reconciliation bill in a 220 to 211 vote.
Americans spent 17% of the GDP on healthcare, but there is still have about 47 million peopl-e without health insurance which is unique in
the developed countries.
From a political view, if the healthcare law c-ome out sucessfully, it will be a huge highlig-ht in Obama's career. Because it not only fulf-illed his promise during his election campaign,
but also make all previous presidents' dreams come true. But health reform is a process of u-nfolding, it cannot prove its success or not in
the short term.
Huge medical expenses will worsen U.S. economy.
It is a big problem whether or not the U.S. ec-onomy can bear this heavy burden.
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The Senate voted 56 to 43 to approve the
"fixes" package, formally known as reconcilia-tion bill, which contains changes demanded by House Democrats to the Senate bill.
The bill was revised during a marathon Senate voting from Wednesday afternoon through early Thursday, after two minor Republican objections to the "fixes" bill was sustained by Senate Parliamentarian Alan Frumin.
Under Congress rules, both chambers have to pass legislations containing the same text, so any changes to the "fixes" bill would force the measure to return to the House for another vote.
The "fixes" package was written under special legislative procedure, known as budget reconciliation. Under this procedure, the "fixes" bill cannot be filibustered and only need a simple majority to clear the Senate. That is why Democrats resorted to this parliamentary maneuver after they no longer have the filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she was confident that Democrats would have the votes to pass the reconciliation bill again.
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http://english.cctv.com/20100326/100981.shtml
Sam Wijnants
ReplyDeleteCatholic churches initiate nationwide Four Rivers opposition campaign
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For the first time since the Great June struggle in 1987, Catholic churches nationwide have begun a social movement to oppose the project Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. The churches follow the decision taken by the the Catholic Bishops’ Conference on March 12, to officially oppose the project. Slogans like “Stop the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project Immediately, Which Goes Against the Order of Creation!”, can be seen all over Seoul.
The Four Major Rivers Restoration Project of South Korea is to restore the Han River (Korea), Nakdong River, Geum River and Yeongsan River, to provide water security, flood control and ecosystem vitality, the so called "Korea Grand Canal, a connection of the 4 largest rivers of the country. More than 929 km of national streams will be restored as part of the Four Major River Restoration Project.
S. Korean environmental groups and, apparently religious groups as well, are very concerned about the canal project as it would result in massive construction and civil engineering works along the 4 rivers which are home to many wild animals and plants and sources of drinking water for majority of S. Korean people.
Besides the slogans, The Catholic Alliance started a signature campaign last month and its preliminary count had about 30 thousand signatures. More and more churches are joining the movement, so the number of signatures will soar the next weeks. Churches located near the four rivers are also planning to hold large-scale masses. An estimated 2,500 parishioners will attend the mass. Another large-scale mass is planned next month for the Geumgang River.
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( see next; it was too big)
Article:
ReplyDeleteCatholic churches initiate nationwide Four Rivers opposition campaign;
Ever since the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea issued a position statement opposing the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, Catholic churches nationwide have begun a movement in earnest to oppose the project. For the first time since the Great June Struggle in 1987, a broad social movement is spreading in the Catholic Church: at churches all across the country, placards calling for the project to be suspended are being hung and signature campaigns are underway nationwide.
At about 200 Seoul churches, placards with the slogans “Stop the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project Immediately, Which Goes Against the Order of Creation!” and “In Every Place Through Which this River Passes are Living Things” have been hung under the name of the Seoul Diocese Committee for Priests of the Environment. The committee said they have been receiving requests from other churches for placards, and about 50 churches in Incheon and 50 in Gwangju are also hanging placards.
The Catholic Alliance to Stop the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project said its preliminary count of a signature campaign it started last month had about 30 thousand signatures. Since the Catholic Bishops’ Conference issued its statement opposing the project on March 12, dioceses everywhere have been actively participating in the signature campaign, so the total number of signatures is expected to greatly increase in number.
Some 116 churches in the Gwangju Diocese are collecting signatures, while 119 churches in the Suwon Diocese plan to begin collecting signatures starting this weekend. With the Daejeon, Daegu and Masan dioceses also initiating signature campaigns, the signature wave is spreading across the nation.
Churches are also handing out 250 thousand copies of the comic brochure “Stop the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, Which Goes Against the Order of Creation” to parishioners, produced by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Korea’s Justice and Peace Committee.
Churches located near the four rivers are also planning to hold large-scale masses. Priests of the Suwon, Uijeongbu, Incheon and Seoul dioceses will hold a mass on Saturday at the Paldang Organic Farm Complex in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province, where farmers are protesting the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project. An estimated 2,500 parishioners will attend the mass. Another large-scale mass is planned next month for the Geumgang River.
Priests at dioceses near South Korea’s four major rivers are also initiating a movement for voters to ask each regional election candidate to state their position on the project. The Suwon Diocese invited candidates for Gyeonggi Province governor for a policy discussion, while the Seoul and Incheon diocese are sending policy inquiries to candidates in the Seoul and Incheon mayors’ races. Kim Jae-ok, secretary-general of the Alliance for the Realization of a Common Good of the Suwon Diocese, said they would convene a policy discussion with the Gyeonggi Province gubernatorial candidates with about 100 priests, giving parishioners a chance to see if each party’s campaign pledges accord with church teachings.
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/412450.html
http://koreawetlands.blogspot.com/2009/07/help-save-4-major-rivers-in-s-korea.html ( for furhter explanation about the project and the reasons and arguments of the protest.
DaSol Lyu
ReplyDeleteLabor Movement Undergoing Change
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A new labor organization, tentatively named as 'New Hope,' is about to be officially launched in May in South Korea with fairly different characteristics than the two currently existing labor unions.
Labor unions in South Korea have certainly contributed in the development of the country in terms of bringing democracy to establishing laborers' rights, especially during modern era around 1987. Yet the nation's two major unions, Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the Korea Confederation of Trade Unions, are now considered by the public not as just and quitessential organization for laborers' rights but as violent, ideologically-biased, and anti-management groups of people that often make daily lives inconvenient due to their violent and selfish rallies.
The new coalition hopes to cater to those who are fed up with the old-fashioned two politicized umbrella unions. The coalition will omit violence and physical clashes in labor movement and seek mutual benefits for both workers and management.
Further, the coalition is seeking ways to help find rights for teenage part-time workers and young jobless adults which have been neglected in Korean society. Moreover, it hopes to join hands with university student associations to find solutions for annually increasing tuition fees and to introduce Korean-style "Rosetta Plan."
It is still questionable whether the coalition will be granted official approval by the Labor Ministry of Korea for the Ministry rejected one of their requests already. The New Hope, however, seems to be a great stepping stone for the progress of nation's labor movement in that it has pledged to avoid physical violence which has quite often made the public uncomfortable or even antagonistic toward labor movement.
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A wind of change is set to reshape Korea's labor movement.
At the center of the change are two new labor unions that are catering to those who are fed up with the nation's two major but ideologically-obsessed and politicized umbrella unions ㅡ the government-friendly Federation of Korean Trade Unions and the militant Korea Confederation of Trade Unions.
They are yet to be launched officially. The Labor Ministry rejected one of the two's requests on the grounds of so-called political bias. But they have already received a flurry of calls to join and help transform labor activities into a way that is politically neutral, seek mutual benefit for both labor and management and extend support to those who have long lurked on the periphery of existing unions.
No Longer Up in Arms
"Violence and physical clashes were the 'norm' in labor struggles, leaving little room for compromise," Chung Yeon-soo, 54, co-leader of a new coalition of unionized workers, tentatively named "New Hope" said in a recent interview. "Within two or three years, you will see a great change in labor activities."
The coalition was established earlier this month by labor activists who severed ties with the two major umbrella unions over what they call "ideologically-biased, anti-business and anti-market lines."
The coalition will be officially launched in May but it has already seen the number of registered unions increase to 52 last week with membership reaching 200,000.
Among members are Hyundai Heavy Industries, the world's largest shipbuilder; Hyundai Mipo Dockyard; Seoul Metro, which operates subway lines No. 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Seoul; Seoul Metropolitan Employees' Union; and a labor union for workers at education offices.
"We expect the number to increase further when companies are allowed to register with dual unions from July next year," Chung said.
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/03/117_62964.html
DaSol Lyu
ReplyDelete(article cont'd)
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The leader, who also chairs the Seoul Metro union, stressed unions should exist to seek mutual benefits for both workers and management, but in Korea that was not the case.
"Unions have been regarded as a social headache," he said. "They have frequently staged rallies or taken violent steps only for their own interest, but have held no liability for direct or indirect damage inflicted on the public."
Chung said it's time to change the role of unions.
"We will pave the way for labor activists to be respected by the public," he said. "I believe unions in this era should join hands with management for transparent and ethical business operation. The assumption that working conditions can be improved with no support from the government and management is naive. The three elements must be on the same page."
To restore public confidence, New Hope will utilize an unprecedented campaign tool ㅡ community service. In a general meeting last Thursday, the coalition decided to launch a nationwide community service campaign for one week in May.
"Each registered union will map out their own schedule for the service," a New Hope spokesman said. "We will change antagonism against unions step-by-step."
DaSol Lyu
ReplyDelete(article cont'd)
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Rights of Jobless, Job Seekers
The Youth Community Union is expected to become the nation's first labor union that applies a rigid age limit to applicants and focuses its campaign on teenage part-time workers and job seekers in their 20s and 30s. Regardless of employment status, those aged between 15 and 39 are eligible for membership.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Labor rejected its request to be recognized as a legal union, taking note of some paragraphs of its action code that are likened to propaganda of progressive politicians.
The union immediately denounced the decision and pledged to reapply.
"This cannot stand in the way of winning state approval," union Chairwoman Kim Young-kyung said. "There is no labor union here without such propaganda in their action code. We cannot accept the rejection."
She said a growing number of people captivated by its unique campaign are applying for membership.
Its priority is, the 31-year-old said, "shedding light on young workers and job seekers whose labor rights have long been ignored, but never get attention from existing labor unions."
Kim said companies that rely heavily on a teenage workforce ㅡ such as restaurants, bars, gas stations and convenience stores ㅡ are mushrooming. But their labor rights have long been ignored because of their lack of knowledge about labor laws as well as social sentiment less attentive to the outcry from school-age workers.
DaSol Lyu
ReplyDelete(article cont'd)
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For instance, she said, a recent study showed nearly half of teenage workers were paid around 2,000 won ($1.7) per hour, which is far lower than the legal minimum pay of 4,110 won.
"Worst, some are even paid nothing. But most of them don't know how to appeal and get appropriate protection of their rights," Kim said. "The long-established negative social atmosphere toward working teenagers is adding woes to them."
Eight out of ten firms relying heavily on a teenage workforce were found to have been paid lower than the legal minimum wage to their employees, the labor ministry said Wednesday.
The union head said it will launch a campaign aimed at educating teenagers about their labor rights they should claim at work and provide consultation services.
"For businesses listed for frequent violations, we will make direct interventions and settle the problem," the chairwoman said. "And if necessary, we will also initiate a campaign for employers."
She saw soaring tuition as a major culprit for university students' ordeal.
A 2009 OECD report placed Korea second after the United States on the list of the top 10 countries in average tuition fees.
"Many college students in their 20s have no choice but to have part-time job to catch up with the rising tuition every single year. At the end of their school year, however, many of them find themselves struggling with mounting debt," she said.
DaSol Lyu
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According to a recent survey on 1,179 senior students, seven out of 10 respondents shouldered debt of 1.1 million won on average. More than 80 percent of those in debt said they borrowed money from banks to pay tuition.
"College students are now being squeezed between soaring tuition and dwindling job opportunities," she said. "But the government is taking a wait-and-see attitude and its pledge to create decent jobs for as many as possible of the young jobless appears to be in vain."
The union plans to join hands with student associations and other influential labor unions to make their voices heard.
Its top priority is introducing Korean-style "Rosetta Plan." Under the scheme, which Belgium introduced in 1999, the European country mandated companies to fill at least three percent of their entire positions with 20-something people.
"I want people to recognize this union as their advisor next door," Kim said. "All members of the union are destined to leave due to the age limit. Before reaching the ceiling, however, I want them to give lessons about how valuable labor, regardless of age and position, is and how important labor rights protection is."
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http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2010/03/117_62964.html
Valerie Raeymaekers
ReplyDeleteWave of Protests Signal Frustration Inside Cuba
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In Miami 10.000 Cuban-Americans protested in support of the dissident groups on Cuba that have been violently mistreated. Especially the death of Orlando Tamayo and the violent actions against the Ladies in White protests (There was an article about this posted by Sam some time ago) have sparked anger with the Cuban American population who feel resentment against the cuban regime, upheld by Raul Castro.
At the same time of this march in Miami, one of the organizers, singer Gloria Estafan announced that at that same time there was also a protest going on in Havana itself against the recent violent actions from the cuban government.
The particular protest mentioned earlier by the ladies in white is related to Black Spring.Black Spring refers to the 2003 crackdown on Cuban dissidents where the government imprisoned cuban dissidents as well as several human rights and democracy activists, under the idea that they were acting as betrayers by accepting help from the US government. This year marked their 7th march of protest towards the imprisonment of those dissidents.
Orlando Zapato who was one of those dissidents went on a hunger strike in protest against his imprisonment and died somewhere in februari after an 85-day hunger strike.
This sparked anger with movements in Cuba such as Cuba's pro-democacy movement and the ladies in white, who have been going around in Cuba, trying to talk to people who in turn, see them as the alternative to their growing problems brought upon by Raul castro's failure to keep the promises he made: The most important one being an improvement of the life quality of the cubans.
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ReplyDeleteTens of thousands of people have marched in Miami to protest a recent crackdown in Cuba against dissident groups on the island. Cuban-Americans say there is a rising tide of resentment against the Cuban regime and the failure of promised reforms.
People dressed all in white filled the streets of the Miami neighborhood known as Little Havana for the march late Thursday. Many carried Cuban flags and chanted messages calling for freedom in Cuba.
Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan helped organize the event and led marchers in the singing of the national anthems of Cuba and the United States. Near the close of the march, Estefan said they had received word that a dissident group was also marching in Havana. "At this moment they are receiving violence again. They are joined with us here," she said.
News reports from Havana said Thursday that Cuban police dragged away several protesters from the opposition group known as ladies in white (Las Damas de Blanco). The group includes many spouses and other relatives of dissidents jailed in Cuba. They have held several marches this week to demand the release of loved ones and mark the seventh anniversary of a major crackdown called "black spring."
Supporters of pro-democracy groups say other recent protests have taken place in Havana and in the countryside, suggesting that frustration at the government is on the rise.
University of Miami professor Andy Gomez says it is partly due to President Raul Castro's failure to deliver on his promises to improve the quality of life for many Cubans. "The level of frustration has continued to increase and yet at the same time, they are going through the worst economic crisis since the special period when they lost their subsidies from the Soviet Union," he said.
Pro-democracy groups also have received a new boost from Afro-Cuban leaders, who traditionally were seen as a strong supporter of Communist policies. That image was shaken last month when black dissident Orlando Zapata Tamayo died, after an 85-day hunger strike in prison.
"Here we have a working class black man from eastern Cuba who was peacefully advocating change," said Orlando Gutierrez, who leads the Miami-based Cuban Democratic Directorate. "They imprison him and then, when he goes on a hunger strike, they deny him water for 18 days. They kill him, and people know that."
U.S. President Barack Obama said Zapata Tamayo's death and the harassment of protesters was deeply disturbing, and he called for the release of political prisoners.
In Cuba, President Castro expressed regret for the death, but the incident sparked another wave of marches to protest the conditions of jailed dissidents.
Gutierrez says if marches continue in Cuba, the movement is likely to generate even more supporters. "Cuba's pro-democacy movement, the ladies in white, they're going into the streets, they are talking to people, they are carrying out protests throughout Cuba. People are seeing these guys are the option, they are the alternative," he said.
University of Miami's Gomez says that frustration is also on the rise among Cuba's large youth population, especially university students concerned about their future in Cuba. But he says Cuba's government has a history of quelling dissent before too long. "The question I ask myself is up to what point is the government going to allow this to continue, because it can get out of hand very quickly," he said.
Pro-democracy advocates say the United States could consider new measures as well, in an effort to push the Communist nation toward greater respect for human rights.
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http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/03/27/2010032700444.html