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Mar. 30  2024
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Reject Registration!! Stop Crack Down!! Achieve Working Visa!!!

Migrant Workers' voice - A Special Issue 2




Migrant workers unite to sit-in rally in rapid succession.

Migrant workers, one after another, unite in sit-in rally for the sake of freedom of assembly and association, annihilation of massive crackdown, and achievement of working visa.
Last April 8, two comrades, Busira and Jarnadan from Nepal combined to the rally. ?Korean government will wipe out us from this country after it put our noses to the grindstone. The 1 year stand-by seal, which will be provided to us at the cost of registration, is no legalization that we have wanted. Neither is the Employment Permit System(EPS) without labors three major rights and freedom of transfer. What we want is the working visa that secures at least 5 years of stay, freedom to transfer factories, and complete labors three rights. We joined in the rally for this goal, resolved ourselves to carry it on at the risk of deportation which is identical with death for us. Not merely 260,000 undocumented foreign workers' but also 400,000 migrant workers' combative spirit will we show to the government. We will fight obstinately to the last.", they clarified their fighting volition. The suppression from Korean government rather activated our fighting spirit and indignation. We surmounted the fear of coercive deportation and now will struggle to the death. The number of the comrades who muster under our banner is swelling out. No oppression from the government can squelch our firmly determined mind.


One Hundred of migrant workers joined Mayday rally.


After the commence of sit-in rally on April 28, one hundred of migrant workers celebrated the eve of Mayday(April 30th), and participated in Mayday rally(May 1st), bearing up under the oppression of Korean government.
Our struggling figures were exhibited through a large-sized monitor, followed by Hussein's utterance.
Kabir, the representative of migrant workers, who are on the sit-in rally in Myeong-dong Cathedral, said at the demonstration on Mayday, "Korean government is committing such an unreasonable and absurd crime now. I will fight, regardless of the threat of deportation, until the end when we achieve working visa, annihilate the massive crackdown, and terminate the suppression of freedom of assembly and association from Korean government. My fellow comrades, are you with me?" Then, 15,000 Korean workers answered with struggle slogan.
What made us speak out in front of a numerous group of Korean workers was our ceaseless struggle. More than 2,000,000 won was raised through "Achieve legalization" button sale and donation only for two days. The ardour of solidarity and alliance is glowing out.


Solidary struggle of international workers

Last May 3, a demonstration was held, demanding freedom of assembly·association, annihilation of massive crackdown, and achievement of working visa. The protesting comrades claimed with ardent will to struggle. Afterwards, Korean workers and students proclaimed their willingness to ally.
On the same day, several picket demonstrations were held in front of the Korean Embassy in Toronto, Ottawa, Ontario(Canada) and Hong Kong to protest against Korean government's despotic suppression and to urge it to issue working visa. Continuous demonstrations were held in the Philippines, Bangladesh(May 6th) and in Australia(May 7th), while the workers in the USA and Saudi Arabia were holding a forum in the interest of solidarity. Like this, the flames of alliance and solidarity are burning out all over the world. It is because out struggle is right and persistent.
What Korean government and the capitalists fear most are the workers in struggles and their solidarity. It caused them to clamp down on our rally. We are not struggling by ourselves but with the 13,000,000 Korean workers and workers of the whole world.

Our struggle cannot be ceased!!

Migrant workers' struggle will continue.
On May 9, there will be held a press conference demanding freedom of assembly and association, annihilation of massive crackdown, and achievement of working visa and the beginning ceremony of the association of Korean workers, academic circle , and religious circle for annihilation of massive crackdown, and achievement of working visa"
On May 11th, a demonstration will be held in front of the Immigration, opposed to deportation within a year and usual crackdown.
On May 19th, the postponed mass rally will take a place.
We never yielded under the government but took a time to complete arrangements to fight against it. We are workers. Workers die rather than step back. That is the very spirit of workers'. Let's shout ourselves hoarse, crying out our demands until they will be engraved on Korean government and spread out our struggle to the all over the world.


Our banner cannot be let down-reject registration!!

We are workers. Workers never compromise. Therefore, we, the Equality Trade Union-Migrants Branch(ETU-MB), differentiate ourselves from Joint Committee for Migrant Workers in Korea(JCMK) who tries to enforce the Employment Permit System and attempts to drive us out, in collusion with Korean government. Also, we draw a sharp line between ourselves and the Korean-Chinese Church who yielded to the government with little trouble. We will never let out flag fall. We will never recall our registration reject campaign.
We are obviously aware that we will be enslaved and have to live in insecure and uncertain condition where we can be deported at any time if we withdraw our struggle now. Through the crackdown no better than a witch-hunt, Korean government will wipe out migrant workers as if they were garbage and call new migrant workers in. The government intends to enforce the Employment Permit System which is no longer different from the Trainee System. The stamp misread by us as visa will disclose its sharpened blade to us.
We have to fight from now on. We have to show Korean government and the capitalists that we are living workers, that we are not slaves who are willing to kneel down to them with the carrot given to us by their hypocritical hands. There will be no compromise until the real legalization is achieved that secures at least 5 years of stay, freedom to transfer factories, and complete labors three rights.
The more our enemy suppresses us, the more indefatigable and the stronger will our struggle become. It will awaken and raise a storm of prevalent and exuberant alliance.

Migrant workers, resist!!! Struggle!!!

*** Migrant Workers' Demands

¡Ü Give us working visa!
¡Ü Oppose to the Voluntary Reporting Program for Unauthorized Foreigners(VRPUF)!
¡Ü Oppose to the crackdown!
¡Ü Oppose to the Employment Permit System!
Give us labors right to transfer factories and labors three right!
¡Ü We are human beings. Don't beat us! Give us salary!
Give us retirement grants! Give us day-off!
¡Ü Let us stay at least 5 years in Korea!
¡Ü Give us right to assemble and apeak!


Seoul Gyeonggi Incheon
Equality Trade Union Migrants' Branch (ETU-MB)
Homepage: www. migrant. nodong. net E-mail: migrant@jinbo.net
Tel: 02-985-9061, 031-594-4767



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