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A strong struggle to abolish the industrial trainee system and to obtain labor right upon migrant workers has started.
The government caused migrant workers and their support organizations angry that hoped an advanced policy after the stage of voluntary reporting, as it announced the improved policy of alien work power supply policy with contents of; alien industrial trainee system maintained and extended, undocumented workers will be checked harder, and employing overseas Koreans will be managed by the public.
Many migrant workers support organizations including organizations under the Joint Committee for Migrant Workers in Korea (JCMK) organized the Struggle Committee for Abolition of Industrial Trainee System (SCATS) and then, started to stage a protest demonstration on July 22 arguing that the government's 'improved policy' should be canceled, and the work permit system should be implemented.
At a press conference by SCATS and fifty migrant workers at the beginning of struggle determined that the support organizations to stop their business to assist migrant workers saying, "we have devoted ourselves to help out migrant workers even though we have been under very difficult situation. However, we don't have any reason to conduct our business to support them. It is shame that we are Koreans."
JCMK is staging sit-in rally in front of Myeongdong Cathedral determining to have it till the trainee system is abolished. The members of SCATS headed for the Governmental Complex Building for meeting the Prime Minister(PM), but were impossible to get in as the police stopped them. As they continued to try meet PM, five members of them could enter the building. They couldn't meet PM, furthermore, as a chief of the National Arrangement Bureau under PM’s office stated, "we have no reason to meet you", the struggle members could knew that the government has no intention to improve the policy upon migrant workers.
The ‘Struggle for Abolishment Industrial Trainee System and Stoppage Deportation upon Migrant Workers’ was held at Jongmyo Park on 4 pm July 28 with some 2,000 Chinese, Burmese, Bangladeshi, Pakistan, Filipino, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Nepalese, Uzbekistani, Mongolian workers and Koreans. The subtitle of the demonstration was, 'Condolences of 300,000 migrant workers', and the migrant workers made a funeral situation by holding pickets of 'Condolence of human rights', 'Condolence of fair Korea', protesting the government's policy deceiving migrant workers.
Mr. Arjung, a Nepalese worker stated on his speech, “We only have worked hard, how Korea kick out of us? Foreigners are also human beings! We want to live as humans!” A speaker from the Preparation Committee of Chosunjoks Union spoke, "We can't accept that Chosunjoks in Korea will be swept out and new workers will be imported by the employment regulation system." He added, Korean Chinese should have the same status as other overseas Koreans by revising the Overseas Korean Law.
When they marched on the street toward Myeongdong Cathedral by tying their hands by ropes, the demonstrators once disputed with the police, which placed to separate from passengers reasoning that performance caused citizens disgust. However, so many street passengers expressed their support sentiments by giving big hands.
Ten activists under JCMK are having open-air sit-in rallies before Myeongdong Cathedral. “In spite of sizzling hot weather and prompt raids by showers, we have mind to have this struggle till the day trainee system is abolished” Yi Ran-joo from Bucheon Migrant Workers House stated, "For empowering our struggle, every migrant workers should have concerns, and join," she asked migrant workers positively participate in the struggle.