“Nationwide demonstrations against regressive labour law in Korea”, 18 November 2020

IndustriALL affiliate Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) joined sister unions in the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) in demonstrations and marches across the nation, including 26 rallies in the capital Seoul and 13 in the regions.

… [P]olice blocked the movement of workers on public sidewalks and closed in on pockets of unionists with police shields up so unionists could not socially distance.

Member of IndustriALL Executive Committee member and KMWU president. KIM, Ho Gyu, is urging members to stand up for the rights for all workers in Korea…

South Korea's repeated violations of fundamental trade union rights has made it a first litmus test on the effectiveness of “trade and sustainable development chapters” in EU Free Trade Agreements.

In addition to violations of the principles of freedom of association, the revisions fail to address existing recommendations by the tripartite ILO Committee on Freedom of Association … [on] promoting collective bargaining for precarious workers, sufficiently dissuasive sanctions on employer unfair labor practices…

… [T]he National Workers’ Rallies also commemorated the spirit of CHUN, Tae-il, who died on 14 November 1970 after setting himself on fire … after futile attempts to access rights for workers.

Trade unions proposed the “Three CHUN, Tae-il Laws” and gathered over 100,000 signatures in September to put the bill before parliament by petition … it proposes to broaden the definitions of "worker” to give precarious workers access to trade union rights and to close loop-hole “exceptions” and enable application of minimum standards and protection at small companies with four employees, or less.

Unions also gathered over 100,000 signatures to place a bill to hold accountable companies that neglect to redress conditions leading to industrial disaster and collective deaths … the ruling party has decided to submit a competing proposal.