Workers, farmers, students protest government policies
Last weekend, large masses of workers, farmers, and students held a series of protests against a variety of policies by the South Korean government.
Source : Base21
by Christian/Base21 Media Activist
dvs-b@t-online.de
Last weekend, large masses of workers, farmers, and students held a series of protests against a variety of policies by the South Korean government. For some time now the government has implemented laws that have extremely deteriorated the situation of the South Korean working class, such as abolishing protections against unlawful dismissals and giving permission to factories to force their employees to work overtime without payment.
On Saturday a small protest against the World Trade Organization took place in front of Seoul Station right before a rally by the Korean Government Employees Union.
The next day at Yoido, home of the National Assembly, about 60 Equality Trade Union-Migrant Branch members and student supporters demonstrated against the government's repressive policy towards migrant workers and the recent detention of ETU-MB leaders Kabir Uddin and Mohhamed Biduth. At the same time, a few meters away, about 5000 workers participated in a Korean Confederation of Trade Unions rally. They demanded a 40 hour work week with full compensation of wages. They also protested plans to implement laws which would worsen working conditions. ETU members and their supporters received a lot of sympathy from the Korean workers and collected many signatures to free Kabir and Bidduth.
About 1000 farmers protested against unfavorable government price policies, which is leading more and more farmers into ruin. And in Jong-myo Park, several hundred workers from the public service sector protested against bad working conditions and low wages.
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