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2004-10-29 17:57:46
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Korean Social Movements Prepare for a Series of Joint Struggles against Neoliberal Globalization

Korean social movements have designated 30th October to 14th November to be a period for concentrated joint struggles against the specific policies and globalization in general...

29th October, 2004

News Alert #1

Korean Social Movements Prepare for a Series of Joint Struggles against Neoliberal Globalization

As end of year approaches, the Korean government is accelerating its drive to legislate and implement various policies – including ones that are thoroughly based upon its neoliberal stance.

On one hand, it has recently made public a bill that will revise the existing law on contingent labour, in order to expand the use of contingent workers to all industries and sectors. The rate of contingent workers have abruptly increased during the last few years, particularly with the labour market reforms that were enforced by the IMF after the economic crisis in 1997. This new bill is expected to expedite the process of labour flexibilization that had started 7 years ago. The government is proposing another bill that is of great concern to Korean movements –one on government workers. The government workers in Korea have been denied their very basic rights as workers including those on collective action, and the bill –pretending to be one to give government workers their rights- will in fact lock-in the government¡¯s negation of government workers¡¯ rights and criminalization of their legitimate trade union.

These anti-worker and anti-union policies are all part of a larger picture that has been gradually, but now speedily taking shape. The Korean government is adopting various measures to restructure the national economy, further integrate it into the global neoliberal regime by privileging both Korean and foreign transnational capital, and subdue forehand any resistance that may be triggered against the government¡¯s strategies.

The Korean government, ever since the economic crisis, introduced a series of neoliberal policies, such as flexibilization of the labour market, privatization and liberalization of public services, and designating certain regions within Korea to become ¡®free economic zones¡¯, where transnational corporations will be unleashed to maximize their profit at the expense of the Korean people and environment. Also, after having consolidated its first free trade agreement with Chile in the beginning of this year, the Korean government has recently promulgated its ¡®FTA Roadmap¡¯ for multi-track FTAs while at the same time reaffirming its commitment to the multilateral trade system. It is presently negotiating FTAs with Japan and Singapore, has announced that it will initiate negotiations with the European Free Trade Agreement(EFTA) and the ASEAN in the beginning of next year. FTAs with US, Mexico, India and other countries will also take off as soon as circumstances deem them possible.

In face of these various pending issues, Korean social movements have designated 30th October to 14th November to be a period for concentrated joint struggles against the specific policies and globalization in general. To this end, major anti-globalization coalitions and mass organizations have come together to form a temporary ¡®Initiative for Joint Struggle against Globalization¡¯ to conduct the rallies and forums, and strengthen solidarity among the different movements.

The Initiative for Joint Struggle against Globalization held a press conference on 28th October to publicly announce its plans, and then the two-week period will officially set forth with the ¡°National Rally against WTO and Liberalization of Education¡± on 30th October. On the following day, the ¡°National Public Workers Rally¡± will bring together some 50,000 workers from all public sectors –from health and education to transportation and energy- to demand stop to free trade and privatizations, and also to show solidarity with the upcoming general strike of government workers. From 1st to 3rd November, Korea-Japan FTA negotiations will take place in Japan, but will be challenged by a 85-strong delegation of Korean workers and activists who will travel to Tokyo to protest together with Japanese social movements. 6th November will be filled with rallies and cultural festivals against free trade agreements and investment treaties. A two-day ¡°Alternative Globalization Forum: Our Alternatives in the Era of Free Trade Agreements¡± will bring together workers, activists and scholars from Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Canada and Mexico, to discuss the problems of the proposed Korea-ASEAN FTA, to share experiences of the NAFTA and to formulate common strategies and alternatives. The whole two-week period of protests and forums will be rounded off with sectoral mass rallies and a National People¡¯s Rally during the weekend of 13th to 14th November. During this entire period, the KCTU will be voting on and mobilizing for a general strike against the proposed bill on contingent workers.

The joint struggles taking place during these two weeks will be very crucial for Korean social movements. Not only are we culminating our forces to exert maximum influence on the various legislations and treaties that are planned, the joint struggles and demands will expose the contradictions of the neoliberal free trade regime to the general public, and form an important foundation on which to base future solidarity and struggles, particularly against the WTO and the ¡®multi-track FTAs¡¯ next year.

¡Ø ¡®Initiative for Joint Struggle against Globalization¡¯: Korean People's Action against FTAs & WTO (KoPA), Korean People's Solidarity (KPS), Public Sector Unions¡¯ Solidarity, Korean Education Solidarity, Joint Counteraction Committee Against Liberalization of Health, Korean Democratic Labour Party (KDLP), Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), Korean Peasants League (KPL), Korean Association of Urban Poor, and more.

<Photo from Jinbonet; Press Conference on 28th October>



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