Appendix C - The Situation of Workers in Korea

Appendix ‘C’

The Situation of Workers in Korea

1. Wages

* Despite the increase in the profits of the companies, the real wages of the workers are continuously on the downward trend (Table A)

* Most workers receive wages that falls short of the minimum survival standard, and thus the household deficit is in a critical situation and is worsening day by day.

	Urban workers minimum survival standard	Household Income	Deficit
1970	100.0	78.7	21.3
1975	100.0	68.9	31.1
1978	100.0	65.5	34.5
1979	100.0	62.4	37.6
1980	100.0	52.5	47.5
1981	100.0	51.4	48.6
1982	100.0	51.2	48.8
1983	100.0	50.5.	49.5

Comparison of the Wages

Wage Working Hour Rate

(US$/h) (weekly) (Wage)

Korea 1.09 52.6 100.0

Japan 5.77 41.0 529.358

U.S.A. 7.27 39.8 666.927

*Source: ILO Year Book 1982

A report made by the Federation of Korean Trade Union in May 1983 shows that among the female workers, the majority (21%) earns 60,000-70,000 Won per month; female workers who receive more than 200,000 Won are not more than 1.1%; female workers who receive less than 40,000 Won are about 5%.

Taking into consideration that the minimum cost of living for urban family of 2 persons estimated by the FKTU was 217,637 Won every month, most female workers fall short of the required minimum standard.

2. Working hours

* In view of low wages, Koreans work the longest working hours in the entire world in order to survive. With each passing year the working hours are on the increase.

(1980, Comparison of the Average Weekly Working Hours)

Source: ILO

3. Industrial Accidents

* The world's highest rate of industrial accidents is in Korea. This is because of low wages, long working hours and poor working conditions.

In 1984 some: 1667 workers died, and 157800 more received injuries.

4. Suppression by Government

Labor movements are totally suppressed by Government. At the end of 1980, the military regime adopted new methods of suppression against the labor movement.

a) Under the name of Purification Education, the military regime expelled the leaders of democratic unions and sent them to military camps to receive unbearably harsh physical discipline.

b) The labor laws were revised by the government to restrict the activities of democratic unions.

c) The government ordered the dissolution of democratic unions.

d) Third parties were prevented from involving themselves in labor disputes.

The government is threatening the workers involved in the labour movement by blacklisting and indulging in false propaganda that former college student workers are impure or procommunist; these allegations entail expulsion from work. The government has endeavoured to disrupt the organising of new trade unions by various ways and has also tried to separate the intellectual from the workers through night school.

5. Labour Movement Issues in 1985

The labour movement after 1984 protested against the governments' continued low wage policy and suppression of labour movement as the workers became more resolute to win their right to livelihood. Government took action against the more organised outlook of the workers. The government and the companies savagely suppressed the movement by employing violence. In the course of the struggle, in the first half of 1985, 65 workers from various areas were imprisoned and over 2000 were fired from their jobs for having participated in the struggle. The demands of the workers are: increase in wages, reform of labour laws, democratization of yellow unions, establishment of new union, stoppage of unjust dismissals and blacklisting, ceasing of suppression against labour movements and organisations; immediate end to suppression of former students who have joined the ranks of workers, end to violence of police and company management.

6. Problematic Points

For future activities, the following points must be taken into consideration:

a) In order to attract American and other foreign investors and to continue to pursue the export-oriented economic policies, the government will continue its wage-freeze policy.

b) In order to execute such policies, the suppression of the labour movement is necessary.

c) Ideological attacks against labour unions and intellectuals will be intensified.

d) In order to resolve the problems of labour it will be necessary to reform the labour laws and democratize society. The first step must be the democratic revision of the constitution and the realization of the social and political rights of the workers.