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Mar. 29  2024
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CEDMW Submits Migrant Bill to Parliamentary

The employment permit system (EPS) bill was not dealt at the National Assembly, and the major opposition Grand National Party (GNP), having only two seats below half of total lawmakers, didn’t agree to abolish trainee system as head of the party’s policy making committee stated.

Source  :  Asian Workers News

By Han Ei-no
Staff reporter
The employment permit system (EPS) bill was not dealt at the National Assembly, and the major opposition Grand National Party (GNP), having only two seats below half of total lawmakers, didn¡¯t agree to abolish trainee system as head of the party¡¯s policy making committee stated. Chinese workers gathered to demand to practice EPS quickly and to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Their Families (UN Migrant Convention), and the Kasamako, a united organization of Filipino communities, had rallies to oust Estrada, president of Philippines who are under impeachment trial at the senate.
The Common Committee for Elimination of Discrimination against Migrant Workers and Promoting the Basic Rights (CEDMW), JCMK included, petitioned a bill of Foreign Migrant Workers and Safeguarding Basic Rights Bill to the National Assembly last week, and opens a rally asserting to adopt Work Permit System at Tapgol Park in Chongro at 2 pm on December 17.
As it comes that the enacting EPS bill is almost impossible, a wide scaled roundup and deportation upon undocumented workers is expected in the next year.

(GNP Negative Position Toward EPS)
Rev. Columba J. Lee, president of The Joint Committee for Migrant Workers in Korea (JCMK) and other representative members of CEDMW delivered their opinion that the trainee system should be abolished, and the migrant workers related system should be improved at a visit with Rep. Mok Yo-sang, the head of Policy Making Committee of the Grand National Party on November 30. At the meeting lasting for one and half hour, the officers of GNP indirectly confirmed that they don¡¯t have the intention to change the current migrant workers¡¯ system, stating, ¡°We know well about violations of human rights upon migrant workers, especially illegal workers, but it should be approached cautiously considering current economic situation and problems of unemployed people¡±, ¡°We are considering the way to improve human rights of foreign workers by improving trainee system¡±.

(CEDMW Petitions Migrant Bill to National Assembly)
CEDMW last week submitted a migrant workers bill including proposals of work permit and employment permit to the National Assembly. Even if the bill is submitted, it doesn¡¯t mean it is to be dealt at the National Assembly. CEDMW has a rally asserting to adopt the work permit system at Tapgol Park on December 17.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly had not endorse the bill of EPS at its regular session lasted till December 9. They opened a temporary session from December 11 for deal with the New Year¡¯s budget and other pending bills of laws. But it seems almost impossible that the migrant workers¡¯ laws are to be treated.

Meantime, JCMK appointed An Sung-geun, secretary general of the Migrant Workers Mission of PROK as its Secretary General. JCMK plans to have a membership training with its executive members.
On December 3, some 200 Chosunjok workers had a rally demanding a quick practice of EPS, and ratification of UN Migrant Convention at the street before Seoul Migrant Workers¡¯ House and Korean Chinese House.
JCMK and CEDMW visited embassies of migrant sending countries urging to ratify UN Convention of Migrant, from Sri Lanka Embassy on December 5 to Indonesia Embassy December 13.
CEDMW sponsors a photo exhibition of ¡®Migrant Workers¡¯ 10 Years¡¯ in Seoul from December 18 to 23.

About 200 Filipino workers had a rally for Estrada¡¯s resignation, their President, on December 13 at Dongkuk University. Kasamako insisted on its statement, ¡°Truning away his Face from overseas Filipino workers pains, Erap received 4 billion won of bribe from gamblers, he should resign¡±. The Filipinos tore portrait of Estrada for protesting. On the next Sunday of December 10, a pray rally to oust Estrada was held at Hyehwadong Church.
The Struggle Network for Migrant Workers' Complete Labor Rights & Freedom of Migration Working' (SNMRF), exerting power to build up solidarity with Koreans workers, have been visiting Korean workers¡¯ struggle sites such as the strike site of the E-Land Company. SNMRF members said to the chairman of action committee of Chonhaetu, National Struggle Committee for Laid-off Workers¡¯ Reemployment, that SNMRF would be born again in the new year as a new organization because SNMRF was launched only for stopping EPS bill.

(Strong crackdown expected in the new year)
The National Assembly was held again from December 11 for a ten-day schedule. But, policy of migrant workers is not a main issue of them, so the bill of migrant law is not highly possible to be submitted to the session. If the bill is not submitted within this year, it is possible that it will be dealt with after next year. But, it is not clear the process will get power like this year. An optimistic prospect is that President Kim Dae-jung received the Nobel Peace Prize this year. As long as he is reputed as an international human rights activist, he can¡¯t avoid the voices that migrant workers are violated in Korea. The pessimistic position is that consistent resist by the capitalists, and the politics and media controlled by them. Perhaps the President has a positive position toward migrants, it is very hard to overcome resist by the capitalists grasping the national institute.

If EPS bill is not to be legislated within this year, the best policy has been announced so far is extending the term of trainees up to five years. Changing current two years basic trainee term plus one year addition is changed three years in basic and two years added if they pass qualification exam, the Ministry of Justice announced it last June.
If the EPS bill is not passed within this year, it is highly expected that an amnesty period be granted in the beginning of next year, and a hard roundup upon undocumented workers after than. There are 170,000 undocumented workers now, but the government has not positively regulated them this year.
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