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Precarious? Subcontracted? Irregular? Temporary? Hyundai Motor Precarious workers strike to demand permanent regular status (strike enters 21st day)
Precarious workers in Korea began organizing themselves into unions since 1998, 1999.
The low level of rights exercisable means the system demanded over a decade of extraordinarily high-level self sacrifice of individuals in many struggles where precarious workers ask for their rights, denied by precarious status.
On 22 July 2010, a 6-year court struggle ended with a ruling from the Korean Supreme Court that the subcontracted worker at Hyundai Motor should be regarded as a permanent, regular worker with legitimate claims on the principle employer Hyundai Motor (Hyundai Motor had claimed they were only engaged in commercial relationships with subcontracting companies, and thus had no employer responsibilities for the subcontracted workers.) Actually there were 2 rulings; one person fired for organizing a precarious workers' union at Hyundai Motor was ruled against because he had less than 2 years service while the other person who had more than 2 years service received the ruling to be regarded as the same as the regular permanent workers. (he can demand reinstatement following unfair dismissal for forming a union unlike the other guy who was forming the union but had less than 2 years service)
Nevertheless it was considered a victory at Supreme Court because it affirmed an employment relationship existed between the subcontracted worker and Hyundai Motor Company, one of the most powerful TNCs in Korea (current President of Korea was formerly CEO of another Hyundai group company).
The Korean Metal Workers' Union began a focused organizing drive among precarious workers in Hyundai Motor in August. The union demanded a table for the principle employer (Hyundai Motor Company) to engage in collective bargaining with the precarious workers to regularize the status for ALL precarious workers in their operations (with over 2 years service) to implement the principle clarified in the Supreme Court ruling.
The precarious workers are now on strike to make their demand for regular permanent status.
Demonstrations and solidarity marches by regular permanent workers to support the precarious workers' demand is growing.
Yet, every day, the attacks against the strike increase and escalate.
The stakes are high; across the world in auto sector, precarious workers are denied the conditions to exercise real rights, real power, while the bargaining unit is fragmented (from perspective of shrinking layer of regular permanent workers who also need to have power vis-a-vis employer).
During 2009 (the global crisis), Volkswagen fired 16,500 precarious workers in Europe alone, Toyota fired 3000 precarious workers in Japan alone, Honda fired 3100 precarious workers in Japan alone!
None of these corporations want to see precarious workers win the right to make claims on the principle employer (the User Enterprise, as it is referred to in tripartite bodies). None of these corporations want to see the precarious workers strike to demand DIRECT employment become successful...
On the other hand, Hyundai-Ulsan plant case shows just what is at stake.
- 100 subcontractors were operating in Ulsan plant of Hyundai Motor.
- indirect employment of 10,000 workers, fragmentation of the bargaining unit, and fragmentation of all workers' bargaining power at that site. = reconfiguring the balance of forces is what is at stake
Across the world capital do not want to see precarious workers reclaim their rights.
Domestic and international working class SOLIDARITY is crucial to support this strike entering its 21st day. RIGHTS issues cannot be backpedaled!
Please support the growth and development of rallies, demonstrations in support!
Write about the strike.
Show your support by changing your profile pic to the "Abolish irregular work (in red)! No thanks, Hyundai" jpg file titled "hyunja.jpg" below~
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rob Lambert on -
these struggles are critical in reshaping the character of the labour movement from a movement of full time permanent workers to a more broad based movement. in this way the Korean metal unions actions are pathbreaking as most unions have not engaged with this issue adequately.
this struggle should be supported (what form of solidarity is most effective?); it should be monitored and these ideas should be transmitted globally,
Rob Lambert SIGTUR Coordinator -
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Permalink Reply by hyewon on -
you have probably seen the conservative korean press coverage (also in English) about the company setting up to re reroute the line on strike. The workers authorized the precarious workers' local chair with power to decide what to do, and they decided to enter negotiations with the company and stop the sit-in.
On the workers side, the KMWU President, the KMWU Hyundai Motor Branch Chair and the chairs of the 3 precarious workers' locals in Hyundai formed the workers' side of the negotiations, and on the company side, Hyundai Motor CEO and Group Vice President KANG, Ho-don (we view Hyundai Motor as the "principle employer" who has power to affect working conditions) sat at the table flanked by the subcontractors (the nominal employers who really are more like middlement than actual employers.)
I think someone else has already written about the 4 agendas of the negotiationsto demand that Hyundai Motor:
1) withdraw criminal and civil charges against the strikers and resolve the hospital bills of the injured strikers (some 120 people were injured, e.g. ribs broken etc by thugs etc and the company should pay for the hospital bills)
2) guarantee employment of the sit-in strikers (Hyundai ended the commercial contracts for the subcontractor after the workers unionized so theoretically their phony subcontractor employer doesn't exist at the factory anymore)
3) guarantee safety of person (physical safety) of the strike leaders when they return to work
4) framework to negotiate for regularization of workers victimized by illegal dispatch disguised as subcontracting
further (relating to demand 4) we expect a high court ruling on 16 December regarding the status of these illegal dispatch precarious workers in Hyundai .. obviously we hope the court adheres along the Supreme Court ruling of July 2010... so we should continue to watch how events unfold closely
on Solidarity, unfortunately Korean employers are still very skeptical about attacks on brand image etc etc (unless they really start to see sales dropping off the charts and losing money) and so more than publicity, it still requires direct pressure on management through workers' united collective action.
certainly precarious work robs workers of their legitimate rights; on the other hand, all those 100 subcontractors that were operating in the Ulsan plant of Hyundai Motor (this is an old count done by even the Labor Ministry) serve to divide up the bargaining unit so workers have less power overall vis-a-vis the compmany, and divide up unity among workers.
Candlelight vigils and other forms of solidarity are also tangible show of protest against the company;
however, this is one thick-skinned company ~ so building the real conditions for strong workers' unity on the ground and across the globe is more and more pressing!
Rob Lambert said:these struggles are critical in reshaping the character of the labour movement from a movement of full time permanent workers to a more broad based movement. in this way the Korean metal unions actions are pathbreaking as most unions have not engaged with this issue adequately.
this struggle should be supported (what form of solidarity is most effective?); it should be monitored and these ideas should be transmitted globally,
Rob Lambert SIGTUR Coordinator -
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Permalink Reply by Rob Lambert on
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Hyewon,
please keep up the monitoring of this important dispute. we will keep transferring it to the SIGTUR web site and we will follow up with the union federations in the global south in SIGTUR. We have to imagine and action new forms of global solidarity - finding the most effective pressure points - be assured we will do everything possible. keep us briefed. Rob Lambert, SIGTUR Coordinator
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Permalink Reply by Wol-san Liem on -
The following is a brief report on the of the Hyundai Irregular workers' factory occupation.
Hyundai Irregular Workers’ Factory Occupation Ends after 25 Days
10 December 2010
Wol-san Liem
Research Institute for Alternative Workers MovementsYesterday (December 9), members of the Hyundai Motors Irregular Workers Chapter of the Korean Metal Workers Union (KMWU) left factory 1 of the Hyundai Plant in Ulsan. Their departure marked the end of a 25-day long occupation, which they had endured without adequate food, water or bedding.
Today, representatives from the Hyundai Motors Irregular Workers Chapter, the Hyundai Motors Local Branch (regular workers), and the KMWU sat down with representatives from Hyundai Motors and its in-house subcontractors. In accordance with an agreement reached between the President of the Irregular Workers Chapter, Lee Sang-su, President of the Local Branch, Lee Gyeong-hun and President of the KMWU, they presented the following 4 demands: 1) Cancellation of damage suits and charges against workers who participated in the occupation, and payment of medical bills; 2) guarantee of reinstatement for those who participated in the occupation, 3) protection for strike leaders, and 4) a plan for negotiations concerning the regularization of illegal dispatch workers.
While negotiations have begun, it will be an uphill battle to get demands met, and take even more determination before the ultimate goal of regularization for illegal dispatch workers is achieved. Past experience including a similar struggle in 2005, has shown that without the pressure of a factory occupation it is not likely that Hyundai Motors will yield much ground. For this reason many of the striking workers had not wanted to leave factory 1 until after their demands were met in full, and originally pledge to continue the occupation until Hyundai agreed to employ them directly as regular workers.
In reality, however, the striking irregular workers have faced increasingly difficult conditions in the last several days. In addition to repression at the hands of Hyundai Motors, they have been put under growing pressure by the leadership of the Hyundai Local Branch to bring their struggle to a speedy conclusion. While the KMWU Delegates Assembly voted in favor of a general strike in support of the irregular workers struggle on December 22, it had not set a firm date. Meanwhile, President Lee Gyeong-hun of the Hyundai Motors Local Branch determined to put the general strike to a second vote at a Branch general assembly, despite the fact that the KMWU Constitution gives the delegates assembly the right to call for a general strike. When the Hyundai Motors Local Branch leadership could have been educating its members on the importance of regular-irregular workers solidarity and preparing for the general strike, it was instead suggesting to its members that it was time for struggle to be over.
With knowledge of the negative result of the Branch general assembly, and the reality that the second vote signified the cancellation of general strike plans and the loss of support from the Branch, the irregular workers set to heated debate within the factory about whether to go one with their occupation or agree to leave and begin negotiations with a set of less than satisfactory demands. In the end, they chose to accept the demands listed above as a basis for negotiation and entrusted the decision to continue or end the occupation to the Chapter leadership. After meeting with the KMWU and Branch presidents, Lee Sang-su declared an end to the occupation.
Sadly, the conclusion of the occupation demonstrates clearly the limits of the solidarity between regular and irregular workers developed in the beginning of the strike and, even more so, the lack of will on the part of the Hyundai Motors Branch's leadership to support a strike that it should have recognized as the struggle of all Hyundai workers.
Nonetheless, there have been important victories through this struggle. The consciousness and daring of a few irregular workers quickly spread throughout the Irregular Workers Chapter and from Ulsan to Asan to Jeonju. The hundreds who participated in the strike have been transformed through the experience, coming to recognizing their common cause and developing the power and courage to demand their right to be treated equally. They constructed and made use of democratic decision-making structures even in the midst of the cruel conditions of their factory occupation, and formed a still growing sense of class-consciousness. Despite the fact that they will return to work on December 13, Hyundai irregular workers have vowed to continue organizing among their colleagues and preparing for the next phase of the struggle for regularization. As one reporter commented, the end of the factory occupation at the Ulsan plant represents, "a victory for the Hyundai irregular workers themselves, but a loss for the labor movement as a whole."
It is the power of class-consciousness and unity that makes struggle possible. The struggle, therefore, will surely go on.
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Permalink Reply by SIGTUR on -
the intense struggle of Hyundai workers in Korea is an event of significance to the entire progressive labor movement as it forces the the fore questions about the need to organize beyond regular workers. SIGTUR will endeavor to facilitate this debate across the global south.
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Permalink Reply by SIGTUR on
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Another dispute on this very important issue. We must continue to struggle against the political agenda to weaken job security. Regular employment is a right and must be organised around. Sign the online petition at the below link. GM Daewoo Irregular Workers Protest in South Korea http://www.sigtur.com/index.php/home-mainmenu-1/143-gm-daewoo
hyewon said:you have probably seen the conservative korean press coverage (also in English) about the company setting up to re reroute the line on strike. The workers authorized the precarious workers' local chair with power to decide what to do, and they decided to enter negotiations with the company and stop the sit-in.
On the workers side, the KMWU President, the KMWU Hyundai Motor Branch Chair and the chairs of the 3 precarious workers' locals in Hyundai formed the workers' side of the negotiations, and on the company side, Hyundai Motor CEO and Group Vice President KANG, Ho-don (we view Hyundai Motor as the "principle employer" who has power to affect working conditions) sat at the table flanked by the subcontractors (the nominal employers who really are more like middlement than actual employers.)
I think someone else has already written about the 4 agendas of the negotiationsto demand that Hyundai Motor:
1) withdraw criminal and civil charges against the strikers and resolve the hospital bills of the injured strikers (some 120 people were injured, e.g. ribs broken etc by thugs etc and the company should pay for the hospital bills)
2) guarantee employment of the sit-in strikers (Hyundai ended the commercial contracts for the subcontractor after the workers unionized so theoretically their phony subcontractor employer doesn't exist at the factory anymore)
3) guarantee safety of person (physical safety) of the strike leaders when they return to work
4) framework to negotiate for regularization of workers victimized by illegal dispatch disguised as subcontracting
further (relating to demand 4) we expect a high court ruling on 16 December regarding the status of these illegal dispatch precarious workers in Hyundai .. obviously we hope the court adheres along the Supreme Court ruling of July 2010... so we should continue to watch how events unfold closely
on Solidarity, unfortunately Korean employers are still very skeptical about attacks on brand image etc etc (unless they really start to see sales dropping off the charts and losing money) and so more than publicity, it still requires direct pressure on management through workers' united collective action.
certainly precarious work robs workers of their legitimate rights; on the other hand, all those 100 subcontractors that were operating in the Ulsan plant of Hyundai Motor (this is an old count done by even the Labor Ministry) serve to divide up the bargaining unit so workers have less power overall vis-a-vis the compmany, and divide up unity among workers.
Candlelight vigils and other forms of solidarity are also tangible show of protest against the company;
however, this is one thick-skinned company ~ so building the real conditions for strong workers' unity on the ground and across the globe is more and more pressing!
Rob Lambert said:these struggles are critical in reshaping the character of the labour movement from a movement of full time permanent workers to a more broad based movement. in this way the Korean metal unions actions are pathbreaking as most unions have not engaged with this issue adequately.
this struggle should be supported (what form of solidarity is most effective?); it should be monitored and these ideas should be transmitted globally,
Rob Lambert SIGTUR Coordinator -
-
Permalink Reply by SIGTUR on
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Support GM Daewoo Workers " SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION"
http://sigtur.com/index.ph p/home-mainmenu-1/143-gm-d aewooOver the week of the 21 - 25 Feb Australian affiliates of SIGTUR the AMWU & MUA will be hosting a worker from GM Daewoo in Western Australia and Melbourne to highlight the 3 year struggle for Union recognition and reinstatement.
SIGTUR said:Another dispute on this very important issue. We must continue to struggle against the political agenda to weaken job security. Regular employment is a right and must be organised around. Sign the online petition at the below link. GM Daewoo Irregular Workers Protest in South Korea http://www.sigtur.com/index.php/home-mainmenu-1/143-gm-daewoo
hyewon said:
you have probably seen the conservative korean press coverage (also in English) about the company setting up to re reroute the line on strike. The workers authorized the precarious workers' local chair with power to decide what to do, and they decided to enter negotiations with the company and stop the sit-in.
On the workers side, the KMWU President, the KMWU Hyundai Motor Branch Chair and the chairs of the 3 precarious workers' locals in Hyundai formed the workers' side of the negotiations, and on the company side, Hyundai Motor CEO and Group Vice President KANG, Ho-don (we view Hyundai Motor as the "principle employer" who has power to affect working conditions) sat at the table flanked by the subcontractors (the nominal employers who really are more like middlement than actual employers.)
I think someone else has already written about the 4 agendas of the negotiationsto demand that Hyundai Motor:
1) withdraw criminal and civil charges against the strikers and resolve the hospital bills of the injured strikers (some 120 people were injured, e.g. ribs broken etc by thugs etc and the company should pay for the hospital bills)
2) guarantee employment of the sit-in strikers (Hyundai ended the commercial contracts for the subcontractor after the workers unionized so theoretically their phony subcontractor employer doesn't exist at the factory anymore)
3) guarantee safety of person (physical safety) of the strike leaders when they return to work
4) framework to negotiate for regularization of workers victimized by illegal dispatch disguised as subcontracting
further (relating to demand 4) we expect a high court ruling on 16 December regarding the status of these illegal dispatch precarious workers in Hyundai .. obviously we hope the court adheres along the Supreme Court ruling of July 2010... so we should continue to watch how events unfold closely
on Solidarity, unfortunately Korean employers are still very skeptical about attacks on brand image etc etc (unless they really start to see sales dropping off the charts and losing money) and so more than publicity, it still requires direct pressure on management through workers' united collective action.
certainly precarious work robs workers of their legitimate rights; on the other hand, all those 100 subcontractors that were operating in the Ulsan plant of Hyundai Motor (this is an old count done by even the Labor Ministry) serve to divide up the bargaining unit so workers have less power overall vis-a-vis the compmany, and divide up unity among workers.
Candlelight vigils and other forms of solidarity are also tangible show of protest against the company;
however, this is one thick-skinned company ~ so building the real conditions for strong workers' unity on the ground and across the globe is more and more pressing!
Rob Lambert said:these struggles are critical in reshaping the character of the labour movement from a movement of full time permanent workers to a more broad based movement. in this way the Korean metal unions actions are pathbreaking as most unions have not engaged with this issue adequately.
this struggle should be supported (what form of solidarity is most effective?); it should be monitored and these ideas should be transmitted globally,
Rob Lambert SIGTUR Coordinator -
-
Permalink Reply by SIGTUR on
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SIGTUR solidarity support and actions for South Korean GM Daewoo workers ramps up Australian affiliates commit to support our Korean comrades struggle. http://www.sigtur.com/index.php/home-mainmenu-1/146-australian-unio...
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