KGEU Celebrates 3^rd Anniversary and Inauguration of ‘Special Committee to Fight for Reinstatement of Dismissed Workers’

Various activities planned to struggle against repression of union members

On 23^rd March, the Korean Government Employees’ Union (KGEU) celebrated its 3^rd anniversary. The ceremony took place in the Grand Auditorium of Korea University the very place in which KGEU’s Inaugurating National Congress was raided and suppressed by riot police 3 years ago. At that time, thousands of riot police raided the auditorium and arrested hundreds of KGEU delegates and union members.

At the ceremony, around 400 union members and guests from other organizations participated. The president of KGEU, Kim Young Gil, participated in the event despite that he was being hunted by the police. During his opening speech, he said this day was a day to proudly proclaim that public servants are workers and that, as workers, must clear their name as ‘puppets’ of the regime and agents of corruption. He also said government workers must bear in mind that they must pay for the debt owed to history. President KIM also pointed out that citizens continue to have a negative perspective of public servants and that “the only way to overcome this negativity was by showing to the public specific changes that reform civil service and practicing true form of service to the people. He also emphasized that government workers must also proactively participate in struggles to abolish the National Security Act and the bill to expand irregular labour, as well as anti-war struggles. He went on further to maintain that the KGEU must focus on strengthening its organizational power by implementing strong struggles against unjust penalties and for reinstatement of laid-off workers. Other tasks the president of the union proposed were resistance against neoliberal policies that are increasingly infiltrating into public offices and struggles against attempts to weaken government workers and their union. Furthermore, all forces must culminate towards stopping the Special Act on Establishment and Operation of Trade Unions for Public Servants, due to effectuate next year. Finally, he said, “Depriving workers of their three basic labour rights is nothing more than a death sentence to workers. [...] No matter how harsh the road to attaining basic labour rights through a normal law, as long as government workers exist on this land, our banner will continue to fly high.”
Following the 3^rd anniversary ceremony, the KGEU’s ‘Special Committee to Fight for Reinstatement of Dismissed Workers’ inaugurated. As of 28^th March 2005, the number of KGEU dismissed workers number 400 and the total number of workers who have been penalized total 1,400 including those whose wages have been decreased and those suspended from work.

The Committee will organize penalized or dismissed workers and implement struggles for reinstatement and restoration. Its activities will include reorganization of union members, struggles against repression on the shopfloor level and against the Special Act. It will also stand in the forefront of the struggles to attain 3 basic labour rights, and mobilize struggling or unorganized workplaces among others.
At the inauguration, PARK Ki Han, president of the Struggle Committee said, “Laid-off workers will struggle in the forefront, not merely to protect our ‘bread’ but because we are certain that as members of KGEU, we are fighting for a just cause.” He resolved, “Laid-off workers, who have nothing more to lose, will struggle to the utmost end, until the very last laid-off worker is reinstated.” ?

KGEU General Secretary AHN Byeong Soon Arrested

Repression against KGEU continues

In the morning of 15^th March, KGEU General Secretary AHN Byeong Soon, who had been hunted by the police, was arrested. General Secretary AHN was issued an arrest warrant just before the general strike of last year, and was hunted down by the police for around 130 days. On 17^th March, his warrant underwent deliberation on its validity, however, the court rejected the petition of his lawyers and decided to proceed with the arrest. AHN is at the moment imprisoned in Seoul Prison.

The repression against KGEU continues and the government’s maneuver to disintegrate or incapacitate unions affiliated to the KGEU is becoming increasingly intense. The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs (MOGAHA) started its so-called ‘New Wind Campaign’ at the end of last year, aimed at weakening the union’s organizational power and will to struggle. This ‘New Wind Campaign’ is being implemented under the rhetoric of “blowing fresh wind into the organization”, and the MOGAHA is explicitly calling for “reformation of organizational culture, focusing on rearing workplace councils and healthy employee groups”, and at “forming a foundation for healthy union activities” by “establishing partnership with civil servant organizations”.

However, the government is not weakening its repressive measures against the ‘unhealthy’ KGEU. MOGAHA sent official letters to each local government, which stipulates that the strike of KGEU is illegal collective action, and should not be dealt with tolerance. The MOGAHA stated that tolerance will lead to problems of morale in public offices and lawful order as well as becoming a barrier in stabilizing public offices. The Ministry added that KGEU membership fees were “being misused as relief funds for an illegal organization” and is attempting to block check-off of union fees including relief funds for repression victims.

According to the ‘healthy’ industrial relations of the Korean government, independent and democratically formed KGEU, representing 140,000 government workers, is not a counterpart for dialogue but merely a target of repression and disintegration. ?

Government Workers Participate in March 20^th International Day of Action against War in Iraq

On March 20^th 2005, international day of action rally on the occasion of second anniversary of US’s invasion of Iraq took place in Daehakro, Seoul. At the rally of around 3000 people, participants including members of KGEU condemned the invasion and occupation of Iraq by foreign forces including US troops and demanded immediate withdrawal. There were particularly high criticisms against President NOH Moo Hyun and his government, who had deployed troops to Iraq in alignment with US militarism. The participants demanded the immediate withdrawal of Korean troops from Iraq.
This rally, organized by the National Coalition against Deployment of Korean Troops to Iraq, was held as part of simultaneous actions across the globe against war. Labour movement organizations including the KGEU and KCTU, as well as hundreds of other civil and social movement organizations are part of the coalition. ?

Police Agency Employees Trade Union’s Struggle against Ex-Officio Dismissal Records 100 Days

The sit-in protest of National Police Agency Employees Trade Union now records Day 100. The National Police Agency dismissed 587 public officials in employment positions (’public officials in labor service’, “State Public Officials Act”) within the Agency as of 31^st December 2004. Almost all of them are women, and they worked as administrative staff sometimes even doing work that police should be doing in police stations and boxes around the country.

The National Police Agency advocates that according to Article 70 on Ex Officio Dismissal of
the State Public Officials Act, “The appointing authority may dismiss him/her ex officio [...] due to an alteration and abolition of the organization of office and fixed number of personnel or reduction of budget”. However, even after alteration of the organization in 1989, the Agency had continued to employ public officials. Furthermore, day-based workers and other forms of irregular workers are now doing jobs that these employed officials used to do.

The Police Agency Employees Trade Union was formed in July 2004 when the Agency’s plan on organizational alteration became evident, and their struggles continue unto today. Despite their consistent request for dialogue and struggles, the Agency and the government simply respond with a deaf ear or repression. From mid-December 2004, the union has been on sit-in protest, and during the meeting with the Agency’s Department of Administrative Affairs a meeting that workers managed to attain after 70 days of protest the workers once again had to listen to the response that the Agency could not accept any of the union’s demands, such as withdrawal of ex officio dismissals, transfer to functional positions (‘technical service’, “State Public Officials Act”) or recognition of their trade union. The Police Agency is refusing to recognize the union, and instead uses the name ‘Laid-off Employees Group’. The Agency is merely telling them that it will “help them find private sector jobs” or “cooperate for them to find day-based jobs”.

The police have placed information detectives to follow almost all union members, blocked all demonstrations, and underwent other anti- human rights abuses such as threatening their family members. On 4^th March, 30 union members wearing ‘sobok’ (white clothes worn when in mourning) held a demonstration in front of the Agency in protest against repression and to demand a meeting with the Chief of Police. All participants were detained.

On 21^st March, 3 members of the union occupied the traffic surveillance tower in front of the Agency and implemented a ‘high-rise protest’ on top of the tower. They demanded withdrawal of ex officio dismissals, transfer to functional positions, and a meeting with HUH Joon Young, Chief of Police. They came down from the tower 12 hours later, when the Chief promised to meet them. However, the Agency has not yet specified a date for the meeting