Hopes are high for workers at Pusan's Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction

Our Position on the Violence and Abuse of Public Power by Police
and the Normalization of Relationships within Hanjin Heavy Industries
July 11, 2011
 
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) has been praying and making every effort for God’s will to be done on earth. On the 10th of July, the Korean police illegally and brutally put down a peaceful march by citizens demanding a resolution to the situation of workers whom Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction (HHIC) had laid off. With grave concerns, the PROK hereby states where we stand.
 
1. We strongly condemn the police illegal and violent suppression of this peaceful march!
 
From the death of two union leaders, Park Chang-Soo in 1991 and Kim Joo-Ik in 2003, to the present rightful struggles of workers against their illegal layoff, we are aware of how harsh the oppression of the workers at Hanjin Heavy Industries has been. On the 9th of July, which is the 185th day of this year’s struggle by the workers, over ten thousand citizens rode 195 Buses for Hope to the second large rally in front of Busan Station and held a Solidarity and Hope Concert calling for the resolution of the situation of the laid-off workers and particularly the safety of labour leader Kim Jin-Sook. Later the citizens marched peacefully to meet with Kim who has been protesting by occupying the 35-metre high shipyard crane #85. Armed police blocked this peace march and during this confrontation, at around 2 o’clock in the morning of the 10th, police fired liquid tear gas and water cannons toward the citizens, then, using their riot shields, rushed the marchers, took innocent citizens into custody, and finally scattered the crowd.
 
Among those who participated in this peaceful march were disabled people, minors, and the elderly. Nevertheless, the police violently charged the crowd, using water cannons and liquid tear gas fluid, even brutally targeting people’s faces directly. It was revealed that nearly 100 people have either been burned or injured this day by the police water cannons and liquid tear gas.
 
We have to ask for whom the police exist and what they serve. We cannot help but lament this reality in which the police, who should be protecting citizens and guarding democratic order, instead become private soldiers of Chaebol conglomerate corporations and commit violence on citizens even more severely than hired bullies would. The police should publicly apologize concerning this incident to the people of our nation and those who are responsible for this incident should be strictly punished.
 
2. Hanjin Heavy has to reinstate laid-off workers and open all information on their order-receiving process!
 
For workers, layoff in fact means death. Hence, plausible grounds and criteria must always be provided in the case of layoffs. However, Hanjin’s layoff this time clearly violated the employment agreements by setting forth no future restructuring plan. (2007.3.14, 2010.2.26) Furthermore, Hanjin Heavy Industries is under suspicion for having been concealing received orders. For the past three years, the company has justified its layoff through an alleged lack of orders. They laid off 170 workers this past February, and then distributed 17.4 billion Korean won to their shareholders as a dividend. In addition, right after the union called off their strike the company announced an order receipt of six orders for vessels.
 
According to an insider from the Metal Unions, it is necessary to have 3000-4000 workers to be able to properly produce received orders but currently at Yeongdo Shipyard there are only 620 regular workers and 700-800 subcontracted workers. It is inconceivable that Hanjin had to perform a layoff when the company was actually in absolute need of more workers.
 
This circumstance compels us to conclude that the management intends to gradually reduce production at Yeongdo Shipyard of Busan region and eventually establish Subic Shipyard in the Philippines, where labor is cheaper, as its central production line. This leads us to reason that there may be a second and third restructuring. While Subic Shipyard may bring a larger profit to some of those in Management, due to this kind of restructuring the workers in the Busan region will lose jobs and livelihood. In the long run this move will cause a significant loss in the economy of the Busan region and of the entire country as well.
 
To alleviate this suspicion, Hanjin will have to release all the information related to the process of receiving orders. And also, Hanjin will have to withdraw its violent layoff policy and reinstate all the workers who have sweated blood for the company.
We, the PROK, declare our appeals as follows. We will also march in prayer with all the people of the country to put an end both to the violence of the police, whose action destroys democratic order, and to the misdeeds of the Chaebol corporations of Korea.
 
Our Appeals
 
1. We appeal to President Lee Myung bak. The violence by the police took place with the knowledge of the president and this obviously deserves a public apology.
2. Cho Hyun-Oh, Chief of the National Police Agency, and Seo Chun-Ho, Chief of the Busan Police Agency, overused their public power, violently repressing a peaceful protest, and therefore must be discharged.
3. Hanjin Heavy Industries must release all the suspect order receipt information and reinstate all laid-off workers.
4. The government must investigate Hanjin Heavy Industries on its poor management and suspicious order receipt process and punish those who are responsible for the debacle.
5. The government must proactively arbitrate in local economy and employment problems.  
6. The government must make a strong regulation regarding layoffs caused by poor management.
7. All civil detainees who participated in the peace march must be released.  
 
REV. BAE TAE-JIN
General Secretary
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK)
 
REV. CHUN BYEONG-SAENG
Chairperson, Church and Society Committee
PROK
 

Posted pictures of money on Facebook: Questions about values

There are at least two Facebook friends of mine who posted pictures of money in local currency on their wall. When I saw the pictures of bundles of money posted on one's wall I'm disturbed. For many people it is inappropriate to display bundles of money, personal wealth such as jewelries, expensive clothing, high tech equipments and other things that publicly displays one's economic power and superior lifestyle. I think there is more to it than just showing them on a social networking website. It redounds to the question of values. I don't question other people's values in any sense, but my concern is about what values are revealed in posting pictures of money and wealth.

I think when people post pictures of money and wealth on their wall on Facebook there is this fascination about wealth. This springs from their desire for power, prestige and social acceptance. They may be fascinated to show to people that they have economic power especially the money to buy what they want and tell others that he or she is NOT impoverished and powerless as he/she used to be. At the subconscious level this behavior is an assertion of one's new identity and capabilities.

Yet still the values that are shown in this behavior are those that can be classified as materialistic. Money and wealth preoccupies the heirarchy of values in one's life. Of course one's life and family is on top of that value system, but when it comes to social relations, that is, one's acceptance to society, such as relating with friends and other people, money and wealth is believed to be of prime importance. In most religions there are teachings of the greater values that people shoul internalize, emulate and share with others. Christian values of love, respect, justice, peace, moderation and self-sacrifice have been emphasized. However for people who grew up in economic deprivation have the tendency to take on materialistic values, that money and wealth ensure social power and influence.

On the extreme the acceptance of Christian values of self-sacrifice instilled by the church in the minds of its adherenrs especially in colonial times was a means of control on the oppressed classes of people. The lavish and comfortable life of the friars and the feudal lords had been justified by the colonial church values. The sacrifices of adherents to Christianity are intilled in the minds of the people as their "service to God." This blinded the people to the oppression and exploitation that they'd experience.

So before you post pictures of money and wealth on your wall on Facebook think several times before you do it.

Posted pictures of money on Facebook: Questions about values

There are at least two Facebook friends of mine who posted pictures of money in local currency in their wall. When I saw the pictures of bundles of money posted on one's wall I'm disturbed. For many people it is inappropriate to display bundlea of money, personal wealth such jewelries, expensive clothing, high tech equipments and other things that publicly displays one's economic power and elite lifestyle. I think there js more to it than just showing it on a social networking website. It redounds to the question of values. I don't question other people's values in any sense, but my concern is about what values are revealed in posting pictures of money and wealth.

I think when people posts pictures of money ans wealth on their wall on Facebook there is this fascination about wealth. This springs from their desire for power, prestige and social acceptance. They may be fascinated to show to people that they have economic power especially have to money to buy what they want to tell others that he or she is impoverished and powerless as he/she used to be. At the subconscious level this behavior is an assertion of one's new identity and capabilities.

Yet still the values that are shown in this behavior are those that can be classified as materialistic. Money and wealth preoccupies the heirarchy of values in one's life. Of course one's life and family is on top of that value system, but when it comes to social relations, that is, one's acceptance to society, such relating with friends and other people, money and wealth is believed to be of prime importance. In most religions there are teachings of the greater values that people shoul internalize, emulate and share with others. Christian values of love, respect, justice, peace, moderation and self-sacrifice have been emphasized. However for people grew up in economic deprivation have the tendency to take on materialistic values, that money and wealth ensure social power and influence.

On the extreme the acceptance of Christian values of self-sacrifice instilled by the church in the minds of its adherenrs especially in colonial times was a means of control on the oppressed classes of people. The lavish and comfortable life of the friars and the feudal lords had been justified by the colonial church values. The sacrifices of adherents to Christianity are intilled in the minds of the people as their service to God. This blinded the people to the oppression and exploitation that they'd experience.

So before you post pictures of money and wealth on your wall on Facebook think several times before you do it.

Being Assured of God's Compassion

PROK Staff morning prayer

Text: Psalm 56

Holy God, You are eternal who resists collusion with human schemes that cause suffering and death. We thank you for this time of prayer and to be refreshed by the renewing presence of the Holy Spirit.

Meditating on your word, we are being assured of your compassion toward us especially when we feel down and out, thinking that we have used up our energies and feel that our body and soul are drained of all what there is left for us to live.

We thank you for your great mercies that uphold us in faith and goodness. May Christ forgive our misgivings and carelessness, while we strive to better our commitments and involvements in the lives of the suffering ones

We remember Rhea Whitehead, a friend and fellow mission co-worker who passed away and has rested in your grace. Sustain in your love her family in this moment if bereavement and whole United Church of Canada.

In your grace bless and accompany us in our respective work today and we ask that you also give safe travels and meaningful engagement to our PROK leaders travelling and meeting partners overseas. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.

Regrets and anger

Teaching English in an after school program for blind children has been very interesting. For more than four years now, I've at least understand the potentials of children who are visually impaired. But while English is a difficult language to learn for Korean children, their parents' push for them to learn have left no choice. This school year I'm teaching third year middle school visually impaired kids. Last session our lesson was about cause, effect and regret. Following the sentence pattern the kids constructed their sentences with ease. On the regret part the sentence started with "I should have...." Well, one of kids mentioned his regret after the class saying, "I should not have been in school this long." In his predicament, going to high school is not important more so getting into college.

Many people know that when anger is actualized can be destructive. It can cause damage on lives, property and most of all social relationships. But anger can be managed because it is human behavior. We can use our anger to cause harm on other people even our family and friends, only to regret what we have done to them. There are persons who the moment they get angry could not think rationally and would panic to the point of forgetting the consequences of their actions out of anger. Anger heightens your violent tendencies and it is a survival instinct. However anger can be our best friend when we can manage it.

From parasols to umbrellas, stories on a rainy day

Talking about summer time in Seoul is a tricky thing. Friends who know that I've come from a tropical country like the Philippines would say that perhaps I like the warm to hot weather in Seoul. Well, well, well I really like hot weather becuase it is nice fo walk around and many new things come into view, like stylish parasols in many women' hands that cover their heads from direct sunlight, short-sleve shirts, t-shirts and shorts. Different kinds of smells both sweet and offensive your nose can detect including the odor of sewers and street canala rise in the air. Making a place distinctly different from the others.

It has been raining since yesterday and travelling in Seoul by the subway train and bus always gives me a sense of curiosity like what is the predominating color of umbrellas I would see today, unsurprisingly it's black, oh yeah for parasols it was off-white. When it rains in Seoul almost every person carries an unbrella and some people can't anticipate how high or low they should hold their umbrellas as they approach or walk along other people. In my case I would raise my umblella above other umbrellas, at times turn it sideways. Unfortunately using an umbrella can be inconvenient but is there a new way of covering yourself from the rain? What about a smart umbrella, one that can come out of a shirt, if not from a bag? This is something to invent or just to imagine.

The Struggle of Vietnamese Migrant Workers in South Korea

Petition urging that the 10 Vietnamese Migrant Workers be found Not Guilty and Released

 

Recently, 10 Vietnamese migrant workers working in South Korea were arrested, detained and brought to trial. The 10 individuals had been among 200 Vietnamese workers employed to construct the substructure of a container wharf at the Incheon New Port last year. The Prosecutor's Office has charged them with several crimes including obstruction of business, group violence, mob assault and assault with a deadly weapon.  

In addition, the prosecution are claiming that the Vietnamese migrant workers carried out an illegal strike, through which they caused significant losses to the company that employed them.

In reality, however, these workers faced subhuman treatment and were subjected to forced labor on the Incheon New Port construction site. They were not allowed to rest on Sundays despite the fact that the South Korean Labor Standards Act guarantees workers one day of a week. They were forced to work in 12-hour shifts, with one running during the day and the other during the night. All the while they receiving only minimum wage. In addition, they were forced to pay for meals despite the fact that their employer had originally promised that meals would be provided. Even worse, management, claiming that they did not work hard enough, began deducting an hour worth of wages from their pay. These actions constitute severe violations of the Labor Standard Act and violation of the workers' employment contract. When the workers protested, however, management responded by telling them they would be fired or, "reported to the Ministry of Labor and deported."       

For workers to refuse their labor in the face of such unfair conditions is completely justified. And, indeed, the Incheon New Port workers responded with a strike. Regardless of the technical legality or illegality of this collective action, it must be recognized that refusing to provide labor when management is in violation of the employment contract is a completely justified act. As such, the prosecution's indictment is blatantly unjust.

In its letter of indictment the prosecution claims that the workers who were arrested had led the strike and used threats and force to make other workers participate. It has become clear in the course of the trial. However, that some of the workers arrested had, in fact, worked at the construction site for less than a week and were not even familiar with their duties there. Given this fact we cannot help but doubt the credibility of the prosecution's indictment. Far from what the prosecution is claiming, these workers were pushed into two rounds of spontaneous action by the subhuman conditions under which they were forced to work. 

The prosecution's accusation of "group violence" is also highly doubtful. We believe that the prosecution has exaggerated this charge in order to create a basis for calling the group action "illegal".

All of the Vietnamese workers involved in this incident had come to Korea under the Employment Permit System (EPS). The South Korean government claims that the EPS protects the labor rights of migrant workers in full. This case shows, however, that the labor rights of migrant workers in South Korea are actually completely disregarded. What is more, the conditions faced by the Incheon New Port workers are not at all unique. They are similar to the conditions faced by the majority of migrant workers in South Korea.  

If these workers are found guilty of the charges brought against them, it will be a direct demonstration of just how unequal and unjust the South Korean government and South Korean society's treatment of migrant workers is. We sincerely hope that these workers will be found not guilty and freed so they can return to their lives as common workers for the sake of their futures and their families in Vietnam. If these workers are found guilty they will all be subject to forcible deportation under the Immigration Control Act. We fervently hope that their employer's cruel treatment and the prosecution's trumped-up charges will not led to the horrible consequence of turning this young workers into law-breakers.  

 

Name:  _______________________________   Organization: _________________________

Position:  ____________________________    Signature: ____________________________

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Recently 10 Vietnamese migrant workers working in South Korea were arrested, detained and brought to the trial.

 

The Prosecutor's Office has charged them with several crimes including obstruction of business, group violence, mob assault with a deadly weapon. The prosecution are claiming the Vietnamese migrant workers carried out an illegal strike. In its letter of indictment the prosecution claims that the workers who were arrested had led the strike and used threats and force to make other workers participate.

 

They all have regular migrant workers under Employment Permit System (EPS). When they are convicted for the offences, they are highly likely to face deportation by the Immigration Act. 

 

The 10 individuals had been among 200 Vietnamese workers employed to construct the substructure of a container wharf at the Incheon New Port last year.

 

 

The 1st Strike: 22th to 25th July 2010
 

From 7 o’clock in the morning 22nd of July 2010, roughly two hundred Vietnamese workers went on a walkout. It continued to 7 o’clock in the evening on 25th of July 2010.

 

They demanded the company to offer three free meals a day. They also demanded it not to force to work at night against their will. Friends’ visits to the accommodations were not allowed. Foods, drinks and alcohols were not allowed in them. To lift these restrictions were included in the demands as well.

 



ü  They were paid KRW 4,410 by the hour.

ü  They worked for 12 hours from 07:00 to 19:00(Lunch 12:00-13:00).

ü  They would work 12-hour shift. (They also demanded the company to recognize 8 hours of waiting time as working hours when they worked 12-hour shift.)

ü  They worked on Saturday and Sunday even though they were required to work from Monday through Friday under their employment contract.

ü  The company offered only lunch for free and food expenses for breakfast and dinner amounting KRW240,000 a month were deducted from their wages.( This is why the major demand of the strike was free three meals a day. The company offered breakfast and dinner for free in April and May 2010. But it noticed that it would offer only lunch for free in July 2010. Many workers who had worked since April 2010 staged a walkout and quit to work.)

 

*The company argued the strike caused losses of KRW 1billon. It said it hired local workers and paid more for extended rents for equipments due to the strike.

 

2nd Strike
 

Most Vietnamese workers went on a walkout on January 9th 2011 again.  The company changed its policy. It reduced recognized work hours to 11 hours (They worked for 12 hours from 07:00 to 19:00, Lunch 12:00-13:00). The company had recognized 12 working hours including 4 hours of overtime work previously.  

*The company argued the strike caused KRW 109million.

 

Arrest and Brought to the Trial
 

The 10 Vietnamese migrants continued to be employed and worked after the strike.

 

Some of them even just begin to work in July 2010. So they were not in the condition to lead the first strike.

 

But they were arrested in March and April 2011 and were charged with interfering with the business, group violence, and mob assault with deadly weapon.

 

The prosecution are claiming the Vietnamese migrant workers carried out an illegal strike. In its letter of indictment the prosecution claims that the workers who were arrested had led the strike and used threats and force to make other workers participate.

 

They all have regular migrant workers under Employment Permit System (EPS). When they are convicted for the offences, they are highly likely to be deported by the Immigration Act.