5 government workers sued for collective action
On 24th June, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs(MOGAHA) instructed the chiefs of several government bodies to dismiss five executives leading the movement, and also requested the Prosecutor's Office to initiate legal proceedings.
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5 government workers sued for collective action
In the midst of suppression of workers and their resistance, the government is heightening its level of suppression on the attempts of low-rank government officials to form a union. On 24th June, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs(MOGAHA) instructed the chiefs of several government bodies to dismiss five executives leading the movement, and also requested the Prosecutor's Office to initiate legal proceedings. The Prosecutor's Office appointed a prosecutor in charge of national security to deal with the case.
Korean law forbids any collective action by government officials, let alone unionizing, but nevertheless the workers have gone ahead to form a mid-way organization, the Association of Korean Government Officials(AKGO), an umbrella organization of 70,000 government workers from 170 government bodies. It is just a little over a year old, although attempts to form a union and obtain workers' rights have been continuing over the past several years. Last February, AKGO held its Preliminary General Council meeting, signalling a definite progress towards making the transition into a workers' union, but at the same time signifying the start of government crackdown on the attempts. The government defined the general meeting as being illegal and sent orders to all government bodies to penalize the participants. But the workers succeeded in holding the meeting. Then on 24th March, AKGO planned its Board of Representatives meeting at Yonsei University, but the government ordered the University to disallow the 'illegal' organization to use its premises. Police not only threatened the representatives, but also threatened workers' wives that their husbands will race criminal charges. However, the venue for the meeting was changed to Seoul National University and the meeting proceeded, in candlelight - since the University cut off the electricity.
Whatever methods the government used, it failed to stop the workers' aspirations to protect their basic rights as workers and make reforms to the corrupt civil service. On 9th June, thousands of government workers gathered in Changwon in the southern part of Korea, and demanded the government stop its suppression and grant legality to their collective action - the first of its kind in Korean history. However, the workers stated, even if the government does not recognize them, they will simply continue their struggles outside legal boundaries, withstanding whatever measures that the government might take to put a stop to their struggles. It was a peaceful demonstration, but MOGAHA declared the rally to be illegal. "The Changwon rally was in violation of the civil servants' law which bans collective action and stipulates obedience to orders, and also of the company association law which prohibits individual association of civil servants to those from other workplaces," stated an official of MOGAHA.
AKGO and 47 supporting organizations which had formed 'Joint Committee for the Reformation of Civil Service and Labour Rights of Government Employees' held a press conference on the 28th denouncing the government's stance and stated that they will take their case to the constitutional court and also to the ILO. Out of 175 ILO member nations, only Korea and Taiwon does not allow government workers to form a union.
It is ironic that President Kim should suppress the efforts of government workers, since in 1988 under the military dictatorship of Roh Tae-Woo, President Kim, who at the time was a leader of the opposition, led other Assembly members to call for the legalization of government workers' collective action. President Roh refused. In 1997, Kim Dae-Jung came into power with promises to make the basis for the legalization but now merely insists that 'it is too early' amidst economic and security tensions. But the workers know that it is not a matter of time. As we have already seen during the last couple of years of economic liberalization and the deliberated suppression of workers that came with it, the government is merely concerned with following along the lines of interest of corporate capital. The formation of a government workers' union is sure to be symbolic on the part of workers, with government officials nol longer identifying themselves as civil 'servants' but as government 'workers'. Presumably, this is what the government most fears.
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