[IMC-Editorial] urgent: korean government campaign to destroy migrant union

[Migrants Solidarity]

UPDATE january 4, 2004
 
GREETINGS FROM THE ETU-MB (EQUALITY TRADE UNION, MIGRANT'S BRANCH, SOUTH KOREA
synopsis:<<the etu-mb is a nation-wide migrant workers union in south korea comprised wholly of migrant workers, mostly undocumented, committed to bottom up organising and worker empowerment.as radicalised, empowered, and organised migrant workers, they pose a threat to the government's desire to have an army of commodified/cheap/vulnerable labour. the fledgling union has been under attack since it's inception.the attack is currently more vicious than ever before. the union is in dire danger.>>
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things are really heating up here. a month ago, the korean minister of immigration was relieved of his duties because he failed to meet his quota for undocumented migrant workers (set at 95%). approximately 100,000 (50%) have left the country though, the vast majority of them leaving on their own. and immediately upon receiving his post, the new minister announced his plan: to arrest and deport any migrants attending demonstrations (a thinly veiled mandate to destroy the etu-mb). 

and they may be successful. 

on december 30th, we heard secret reports that the ministry's number one enemies were the leaders of the ETU-MB (especially kabir uddin, one of the two founders of the etu-mb. the other founder is bidduth muhammed who was deported last week to bangladesh. bidduth was immediately remanded upon arrival, and is still being held in detention under accusations of "harming his country by affiliating with trade unions and attending demonstations ). 

and on new years eve, the etu-mb held a rally at the seoul immigration office and were attacked by about 50 immigration officers. this is the first time that a migrant rally was ever attacked (though many threats have been issued in the past). miraculously, through the ineptitude of the immigration officers, the stealth anti-arrest training of the workers, and the sheer tenacity of the student supporters present, all demonstrating migrants managed to escape. 

with the government's new zero tolerance policy, it's refusal to negotiate with the etu-mb (opting instead to dialogue with korean led NGOs), the migrant union is cornered. there is talk of increasing the radicalness of their actions which could very well spell suicide for the union. 
 
as you know, the korean government is levelling 20,000 won ($17,000 US) fines against factory bosses that are found to have undocumented workers in their employ which has resulted in the wholesale dismissal of their workers. factories employing migrant workers are laying idle all over the country. the pleas of the bosses who are going bankrupt fall on deaf ears.
 
and with the passing of the new EPS (Employee Permit System), the crackdown is non-stop: the cyclical manhunt is launched whole hog during the latter two weeks of each month and then it stops to let the workers that have been cowering like trapped animals, in their homes to flee the country. which they have been in droves. six migrant workers have committed suicide and two young workers have died of heart attacks. 
 
the sit-in struggle at myong-dong cathedral is now entering it's 3rd month. and the etu-mb has gone into overdrive to organise new migrants, holding propaganda rallies in factory towns every sunday. these efforts are really bearing fruit. and while most of the undocumented workers have left the country, we figure that by august of this year (the month that new workers are slated to be imported enmasse into the country under the EPS) their ranks will have swelled to their previous levels (75% of all migrant workers). 
and this is precisely why the government is being so vicious in it's efforts to destroy the union: they want all radicalised migrants out of korea before august. 
 
the union is in dire trouble. 
 
we are now trying to put together an international campaign to save the etu-mb and we will email you as soon as we get things sorted. the KCTU-MB (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions), of which the ETU-MB is a member, is sending a group of delegates to the world social forum this month and we will be sending a petition and pamphlets with them. please seek them out out if you planning on attending the forum.
and please visit the etu-mb website (migrant.nodong.net) to keep abreast of the situation.
 
peace and solidarity,

nancy greene
vmigant at yahoo.com
 
ETU-MB international solidarity team

 



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