Massive people's strike to rock South Korea - and how you can help

[ckaihatsu]

Massive people's strike to rock South Korea - and how you can help


South Korea's trade unionists are on the front line in the fight for democracy.


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Next Tuesday marks the end of the first year in office for South Korea's President Park, Geun-hye.

On that day, South Korea's trade union confederation (the KCTU) will be holding a nationwide "people's strike" together with broader social movements including organisations of peasants, the urban poor, small shop keepers, students, and youth.

They'll be marching under the slogan "After one year under Park's Government, we cannot stand it anymore!"

Human and trade union rights have been attacked and democracy in the country has been undermined since Park came to power.

Organising strikes in President Park's Korea is increasingly dangerous. Harsh repression is becoming the norm. Unions are under attack.

The Korean Teachers Union has been de-registered and the Korean Government Employees Union refused registration. Union buildings have been raided. There are eleven trade union leaders behind bars at the moment, some of them still awaiting trial, some already convicted. Four have just been bailed for trial later.

In solidarity with the 15 union leaders in prison or on bail, and with the KCTU, the global trade union movement is calling for the release of all imprisoned trade unionists.

That's why the International Trade Union Confederation has launched this new campaign on LabourStart (http://labourstart.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=f3995b46c18cb039818f29a32&id=ec2aa5bdfe&e=4e93ef2fad).

It will take you less than one minute to show your support for our brothers and sisters on the front lines in the fight for democracy in Korea.

Once you've signed the campaign, please don't stop there -- spread the word in your union and workplace.

I know that we can count on your support.

Thank you!



Eric Lee

P.S. There's been a major show of support for Canadian workers on strike since September 2013 at Crown Holdings. The Toronto and York Region Labour Council has voted to boycott Carnival, whose CEO is board member of Crown. Have you supported this campaign yet? Please do so and spread the word.
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[ckaihatsu]

Unionized workers launch protest at Seoul Plaza

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSqCOVHgaGE


Korean unions hold massive anti-goverment rally Tuesday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22GiBFJIaYk


Korean unions hold massive anti-goverment rally Tuesday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwH5iiaq9x0

[ckaihatsu]

South Korean unions protest against privatization, conditions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS-psfoA23M

[La Guaneña]

If this was about some murrican getting jailed in the DPRK RL would be just overwhelming this thread. It's good to see how priorities work around here.

[Per Levy]

If this was about some murrican getting jailed in the DPRK RL would be just overwhelming this thread. It's good to see how priorities work around here.

you're probally not long enough here to know that almost no one bothers with ckaihatsus threads. if i see a ckaihatsu thread i dont even bother and most others also dont bother.

as for the rest, at least south korea doesnt pretend to be anything but a capitalist state unlike north korea and its defenders.

[Red Commissar]

There've been some disturbing trends by the South Korean government, even by standards of a "liberal democracy". Raiding the offices of the KCTU because of a strike the government decided to declare illegal is pretty troubling even from a liberal apologist's viewpoint, ontop of all the police action that occurred in the process. It seems the KCTU has less cordial relations with the government than their rival, the FKTU, so the government is likely hellbent on portraying them as rabble rousers as much as they can.

It was only a few months ago I believe they arrested that legislator from the Progressive Party on charges that he was plotting to organize supporters aid the North Korean government in the event of an invasion.

Looking at one of the videos it seems they had a good turnout in Seoul for a protest, but I'm not sure if the strike "rocked' South Korea. Still they did good with what they had, it's rough in South Korea when the government can manipulate public opinion against those agitating against neoliberal policies through redbaiting, ie supporting North Korea.

[Sea]

I can't help but feel that there's a bit of a bait-and-switch going on between the thread's title:

Massive people's strike to rock South Korea - and how you can help
...and the caption of the main image:

KOREA Tell President Park to free jailed union activists now.

[ckaihatsu]

"Defend The Right To Strike For Korean Workers " SF Rally For Korean Feb 25 General Workers Strike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtnvBQZRaxs&feature=

Trade unionists, activists and youth joined together at the San Francisco Korean consulate to support the Korean general strike called by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions on February 25, 2014. The San Francisco solidarity protesters were met again with Park government supporters who tried to disrupt the workers support rally with their bullhorn. The rally was supported by the San Francisco Labor Council, other unions and left organizations. Also Ken Riley president of ILA 1422 Charleston, South Carolina gave solidarity greetings from the ILA and Jordi Aragunde gave greetings from the International Dockworkers Council IDC and coordinator of the Catalan-Balearic Area and the Port of Barcelona stevedores.

For more video of labor solidarity actions for Korean workers:

Battle At SF Korean Consulate "Hands Off Korean Workers"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jk6zJkcPNkY&feature=youtu.be


South Korean Consulate Disrupts Solidarity Rally for Korean Rail Workers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9Iu6RVh3eI


For more information about the Korean Railway Workers Union KRWU struggle

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Support-railway-workers-right-to-strike-in-Korea/623128284413850


Korean Confederation Of Trade Unions

https://www.facebook.com/kctueng
http://www.transportworkers.org/node/1104


Rally initiated by Transport Workers Solidarity Committee

www.transportworkers.org


Production of Labor Video Project www.laborvideo.org

[ckaihatsu]

you're probally not long enough here to know that almost no one bothers with ckaihatsus threads. if i see a ckaihatsu thread i dont even bother and most others also dont bother.

as for the rest, at least south korea doesnt pretend to be anything but a capitalist state unlike north korea and its defenders.


I don't appreciate your random unjustified slight -- I've been making a routine out of posting links to daily video news items. If you don't like them, ignore them.

[Sea]

I don't appreciate your random unjustified slight -- I've been making a routine out of posting links to daily video news items. If you don't like them, ignore them.You practically forward your e-mails to here, many of which are reformist and liberal, and you seldom offer any insight (or anything other than a link and the email) in your first post. Your threads push a lot of of threads by people who start interesting discussions onto the second page, where they die because most people are not in the habit of beyond the first page for fear of necroing old posts. Some of those threads are decent and have actual content in the first post. Here are some examples:

http://www.revleft.com/vb/yakuza-homeless-fukushima-t186083/index.html
http://www.revleft.com/vb/bangladesh-garment-factories-t186551/index.html
http://www.revleft.com/vb/clean-energy-imperialism-t186275/index.html
http://www.revleft.com/vb/possible-portland-teachers-t186216/index.html

Had you refrained from spamming this forum, all of these would still be on the front page and would likely be generating fruitful discussion. Instead they have died alone, a long long time ago.

[ckaihatsu]

You practically forward your e-mails to here, many of which are reformist and liberal, and you seldom offer any insight (or anything other than a link and the email) in your first post. Your threads push a lot of of threads by people who start interesting discussions onto the second page, where they die because most people are not in the habit of beyond the first page for fear of necroing old posts. Some of those threads are decent and have actual content in the first post. Here are some examples:

http://www.revleft.com/vb/yakuza-homeless-fukushima-t186083/index.html
http://www.revleft.com/vb/bangladesh-garment-factories-t186551/index.html
http://www.revleft.com/vb/clean-energy-imperialism-t186275/index.html
http://www.revleft.com/vb/possible-portland-teachers-t186216/index.html

Had you refrained from spamming this forum, all of these would still be on the front page and would likely be generating fruitful discussion. Instead they have died alone, a long long time ago.


Okay, fair enough -- in light of this feedback and that from this thread...


Violence erupts in Ukraine as pro-Russian protesters clash with Kyiv supporters

http://www.revleft.com/vb/violence-erupts-ukraine-t187212/index.html


...I'll change my posting habits by no longer posting links to video news segments, and I'll be more selective about the email content I post.