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Migrant worker who fills up a vacancy in Korean labor market
-Mutually interdependent relationship, no more struggle for 멲 rice bowl�

Withdrawal of construction companies and dishonored Daewoo Automobile shows sign of increase in unemployment. As unemployment rate in Korea increases migrant workers, especially those who are working for a company, which supplies automobile parts to Daewoo Automobile. Therefore migrant workers have no alternative but to move into another factory or get laid off in cold winter, unless there is revolution in the opposite direction. Even though increase in unemployment in Korea caused by economic slump will affect on unemployment and employment of migrant workers to certain degree, it cannot be said vice versa. Increase in employment of migrant workers doesn뭪 link directly with Korean workers.

According to the employment trends in October announced on 23 November by the National Statistical Office, it뭩 much clear that there is no interrelation between Korean unemployment rate and migrant workers� employment rate. The National Statistical Office made public that unemployment rate based on the statistical standard of the OECD is 3.6%, put it another way, 810,000 people are unemployed in October 2000. This number is 3~4 times as high as the total number of migrant worker, estimated 240,000~300,000, in Korea. It means unemployment will not be decreased dramatically, even though unemployed Korean workers fill up with job which is currently taken by migrant workers. Given half of Korean workers quit their job this year because of personal dissatisfaction, such as personal reasons, health problem, working hours, and payment, it can be easily inferred that Korean workers don뭪 consider a 3D job where migrant workers are working as their means of living. I could certify these facts through interviews with various people.

On 21 November I met Iqbal who is working in the SaSang Industrial Complex in Pusan. As a member of team Iqbal, 26, Pakistan, was operating I ton-weighed Hoist crane with a hand with holding 20~30 kg-weighed automobile part with the other hand in a working place where casting smoke and dust are spread like a light mist. I asked him about his family while he was working with wearing a safety helmet, earplug, goggles, and mask to block every hall on his face. He said that he has parents, a sister and four brothers. 밒t has been 3 months since I came to Korea as an industrial trainee, since then I have become homesick�, he added.

P foundry in the SaSang Industrial Complex in Pusan is a place where Iqbal is working. This company produces automobile parts and mainly supplies them to Hyundai, Kia and Daewoo automobile factory and exports 10% of its products.10 out of 302 workers are Pakistan trainees. While I was looking around the factory, I easily notified that all workers are quite old. A person concerned to the factory said that about 14 workers this year, and about 80 workers in 3~4 years are going to retire their job because they are old. Mr. Lee Eun-yel, a director in charge for labor in this company, said � We tried hard to find out people who fill up vacancies through public labor spot, a Tong office, a Ward office, Employment Stability Center in Ministry of Labor and finally employed 30 people. However the number of people who are still working with us is only 5, because Korean workers don뭪 work for a long period in this job. So we have to employ migrant workers.�

Hong Jong-jung, a commissioner of the labor union in P foundry began his story. 밒f there is no migrant worker, it will badly affect on total productivity and in reality operations will be impossible to continue.� 밠igrant workers play a role of filling up our vacancies and we recognize them as out co-workers and we don뭪 discriminate against them� he made his remark.

An Byung-chul, secretary general of labor union, pointed out, 밒f we want to keep out of the red, we should employ migrant workers in order to cut labor cost off. He also emphasized the mutually interdependent position between Korean workers and migrant workers. 밪ome members of labor union have invited migrant workers to their birthday party�, he added.

I met Yang Ju-woan, 36, in labor union for daily workers in construction site in Jure. I asked him a point 뻖lank question whether he would accept a 3D job if he were offered. His answer was 밡o�. He said, 봘nless I뭢 almost starving, I wouldn뭪 accept it. This job doesn뭪 pay well and the working conditions are also so bad. When I was working D ceramic factory in Changwon, working condition was so poor; dust, poor ventilation, high temperature (the temperature in work place was always over 30`C) and bad smell. Now migrant workers are taking place of that job�

A taxi driver, Gu Ja-chun, 39, working for D taxi company in Pusan, was working in a foundry from 1994 to 1997. He was paid 800,000won a month. I asked him the same question and his answer was also strongly negative. 밇ven though I were begged to work in a foundry again, I wouldn뭪 do the job due to low wage and poor working condition.
Joa Myung-boo, 45, a foreman in plumbing in an apartment construction site, bluntly answered that he뭗 rather die than do that job again. He didn뭪 forget to add that migrant worker should be thanked for doing 3D job and discrimination against them should be got rid of.

After I finished my interviews with on the spot workers, I met Herry, Indonesian, 29, doing 2 shift in workplace. In this company 4 out of 10 are Korean. Despite the fact that he gets paid 600,000~700,000won a month, he seems to get along well with other co-workers. I could feel there is forming labor solidarity between migrant workers and Korean workers rather hatred and antagonism for struggling for a job. Even though we still have problems to solve, such as in some work places assigning only migrant workers to a night duty which Korean workers are not willing to do, I could be sure that among on the spot workers understanding and recognition of migrant worker has already been considerably improved. And there is no fight for 밶 rice bowl� (job).