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A New Way to Strike

Following a joint rally with the other members of the KCTU affiliated unions who had struck in solidarity with the striking public utility workers in the railways and electricity workers, electricity workers silently moved out of the Seoul University Campus. In the darkness of the night, 5,300 electricity workers grouped themselves into teams of 5 to 10 members to disperse throughout 2 to 3 hour vicinity of Seoul.

The bus-loads of riot police deployed around the campus of the Seoul National University was shocked to find the campus empty of striking workers.

It is an unusual strike tactic. It is quite normal for striking workers to camp out at their workplaces. This is typical for workers in most manufacturing workplaces. In some cases, striking workers, who cannot hold out at their workplaces for various reasons, gather at a safe large public place, such as university grounds. The public utilities workers started out like this. More than 10,000 railway workers gathered at 5 university campuses throughout the country, including at the Konkuk University in Seoul. And the electricity and gas workers gathered at the Seoul National University. In the near past, striking workers of the Korea Telecom and the Seoul Subway gathered at the Myongdong Cathedral. In the 1994 railway workers strike, the striking workers gathered at several major train depots before they were stormed by the riot police. In the more recent strike by bank workers, they gathered at, on one occasion at the Yonsei Univerisity in downtown Seoul, and on another occasion at the retreat centre of one of the major banks.

The reason for gathering in one place for the duration of the strike is to maintain the strike rank, and to fend off riot police attack.

In these cases where striking workers "lock" themselves in either at their workplaces or at public place, the outcome is one of the two: the striking workers walk back to work following a negotiated resolution of the dispute or they are dragged back to work by the storming riot police. The latter case is usually accompanied by heavy-handed police force and violence, as in the case of the strike at the Daewoo Motors early last year.

It is unusual for striking workers to just "stay away" from work.

Police Left to Chase Shadows

The striking workers, however, chose an untested course to continue their strike. More than 5,300 workers are continuing the strike in groups of 5 to 10.

While the police has put out a dragnet to apprehend the striking workers, it has not been able to catch anyone as yet. In the early morning of March 5, the police set loose 10,352 agents to sweep through some 10,204 motels in the 2 to 3 hour vicinity of Seoul to seek out striking electricity workers and leaders of gas, railway, and electricity workers unions. In the process, they apprehended the president and vice-president of the Kogas workers union. However, they were not able to find any striking electricity workers. Police has "revealed" that it had ascertained that of the 24 leaders of the electricity workers union against whom warrants of arrest have been issued, 10 were camping out at the Myongdong Cathedral and 1 working in the "situation" room set up at the KCTU national office. Police are guarding all the entrances and exits in the building in which the KCTU office is housed to apprehended the "wanted" outlaw.

The five power generation companies - subsidiaries of the Korea Electricity and Power Corporation (KEPCO) - have issued a warning (rather an ultimatum) to the striking workers to return to work. On March 4, on the eighth day of the strike, the management decided to dismiss 47 leaders of the union, and has taken legal action against 252 leaders and 'shopstewards' of the union. The management has declared that it regards "the workers are now not just taking part in an illegal strike, but saboteurs of the very law and order system of the state". It went on to declare that "it will punish the culprits in the strongest possible manner, including permanently expelling them from the company".

Despite the shrill warnings and fire and brimstone demonising of the government and the management, as of March 5, the tenth day of the strike (electricity workers gathered at the Seoul National University on Sunday February 24 and did not report to work from the night shift of the day, while the formal declaration of the strike was made in the early morning of February 25), according to the management figures, only 7.1% of unionized workers have "returned" to work. According to the union, a total of 218 workers are not participating in the strike. The union found that 139 have not joined the strike against the decision of the union, while 54 due to illness, 16 due to family-related reasons, and 6 due to child birth. The actual number of workers who have "returned" to work breaking the ranks with the striking workers is found to be less than a handful since the beginning of the strike.

Internet-based Strike

The leaders of the union "situation room" staff are in regular contact with the "dispersed" striking workers. Some 30 leaders and support teams which are staffing the "situation rooms" set up at the Myongdong Cathedral, the KCTU office, and the KPSU (KCTU's public sector affiliate) link up with all the groups of striking workers who have taken "submarines" twice a day through mobile phones and the union's website.

Each day, the union provides the striking workers with topics and materials for group discussion and news of developments in the negotiations through the union's website. And through mobile phone contact, the situation rooms are able to ascertain the well-being of all the striking workers, including whether any of the striking workers have returned to work. Striking workers are able to leave messages to each other on the bulletin boards in the website from the easily available "internet cafes" wired with broadband (usually for internet games).

Media have seized upon the unfolding of the electricity workers strike since they have left the safety of the university campus as one that 'capitalises' on the world-renowned mobile phone and internet infrastructure.

The Cyber Battle Field -- Government Threatens to Shutdown the Union's Website

The government has not been blind to the effective use of the modern technology by the trade union movement. On March 4, the police have submitted an application to the "Information Communication Ethics Committee" of the Ministry of Information and Communication requesting the shut down of the website of the electricity workers union, with the IP address of http://baljeon.nodong.net, saying that the "website is being used to instigate illegal activities, including delivery of 'struggle orders', assisting the hide-out efforts of the leaders of the union wanted for arrest, and the continuation of the illegal strike."

In response, the KCTU has set up a mirror site of the electricity workers union's website as a directory of the KCTU's own website at http://www.nodong.org/baljeon. In order for the police to block the striking workers access to their website, it would have to shut down the KCTU's website. KCTU is also looking for methods to set up mirror sites overseas in case the police takes the extreme act of shutting down KCTU's own site.

KCTU has issued a special campaign directive in the event of the government's attempt to shut down the union's website. It will call for a concerted cyber-action to paralyse various government websites, including that of the Presidential Palace Blue House, the National Assembly, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, and the National Police Agency.

What Makes the Strike?

The unprecedented "guerrilla" strike tactics of the electricity workers union has enabled the workers to continue the strike without the constant threat and danger of riot police raid hovering over their heads. It relies, apart from the availability of means of effective communication, on the strength of camaraderie, discipline, and confidence amongst the workers and between the members and the leadership. Another important factor in sustaining the unique tactic has been the wholehearted support of the family.

Families - we are in it together all the way

Today, March 6, some 1,500 family members of the striking workers from over 30 power plants across the country gathered in Seoul to hold "Family Rally in Support the Strike to Resist the Privatisation of the Power Plants". Following the rally at a public park in downtown Seoul, the family members, many with small children, marched to the Myongdong Cathedral to meet up with the leaders of the union to present to show them their determination to go full length of the strike by their loved ones. They were, however, blocked by the riot police which have cordoned off the entrance of the Cathedral.

The families have been waging their own struggle. A special "Family Taskforce" has been organised in all the communities surrounding the power plants. Family members have been holding protest rallies across the country.

On March 2, an advance group of 60 family members arrived in Seoul to demonstrate in support of the striking workers. On the same day, similar protest and support rallies were held in 10 major cities across the country. 100 to 200 family members in each rally were supported by KCTU members. The rallies took place to coincide the KCTU's protest rally at the KEPCO headquarters in downtown Seoul.

Ordinary People Extending Helping Hand

Another important element in maintaining the strike has been the support of ordinary people. Many groups of striking workers were advised by the owners of motels and inns about the police activities in their neighbourhood. Some have offered special discounts. However, the average cost for each of the group is estimated to be around 200,000 won, which is draining the union's strike fund, obtained through special due resolution. In response, the KCTU has called for an urgent donation drive among its members to support them. KCTU is also organising volunteers among its members to provide lodging for the striking workers dispersed in the various regions near Seoul.

Workers' Solidarity Action

Apart from the absolute determination of the members of the electricity workers union to challenge the government's obstinate privatisation policy, next-most important element in their strike has been the solidarity generated by the trade union movement as a whole. Apart from the overall political and strategic coordination at the KCTU level, KCTU members from different sectors went out on solidarity strike on the second day of the strike. On March 5, the Korean Metal Workers Federation (KMWF), which had provided the bulk of solidarity strike on February 26, resolved at its emergency executive committee to strike again if the government moves to arrest the leaders of the electricity workers union or the leaders of the other KCTU unions for the February 26 solidarity general strike. Unions at other subsidiaries of the KEPCO have also declared solidarity with the striking workers, announcing their refusal to assign their members to staff the power plants emptied of operators.

The Emerging Social Alliance Against Privatisation

Another important aspect of the continuing strike has been the strength of the public support. The strike by the workers of the major public utilities has sparked a renewed social debate and concern over the whole privatisation agenda of the government. 1,000 prominent figures are scheduled to issue a joint statement tomorrow (March 7) on the electricity workers' strike calling on the government to start a sincere negotiation on all the issues raised by the union.

International Solidarity

Not easily noticed, but undeniably invaluable and greatly appreciated, factor for the ongoing struggle of Korean workers, including the current public sector workers campaign has been international solidarity. The "global trade union movement" has moved promptly to ward off threats of government crackdown on the striking workers, led by the timely letter of protest to President Kim Dae Jung by the ICFTU, followed by similar letters from ITF, ICEM, UNI, IMF, and the PSI. (These acronyms have virtually become household words among trade unionists in Korea!)

COSATU from South Africa led the way, in terms of actions by national centres of trade union movements. Other South unions, such as Indonesian FNPBI, India AITUC, part of the Southern trade union forum of SIGTUR, have followed suit. Italian CGIL and French CGT acted swiftly to extend solidarity to the KCTU. On March 6, the Dutch Confenderation of Trade Unions, FNV, send its president Lodewijk de Waal to the Korean Embassy in The Hague to hand-deliver a protest letter addressed to President Kim Dae Jung, signed by all the presidents of unions and the members of the Council of the Confederation.

Individual unions and activists have also rushed to Korea with their solidarity and protest letters. Many of these can be found in the "www.base21.org", a special english website devoted to the people's struggles in Korea. The LabourStart site has also been invaluable in highlighting and keeping up to date with the current struggle.

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In order for all these support, solidarity, and protest activities to be effective -- to make maximum impact through media attention -- it would be important that the actions are made known to the coordinating body in Korea. This can be achieved by sending copies of letters and information on action taken to relevant coordination points in Korea. While solidarity messages can be posted at the above-mentioned "base21" bulletin board, copies of protest letters and information of actions taken can be sent to the KCTU at inter@kctu.org or by fax at +82-2-2635-1134.