김대중정부와 건강보험관리공단의 사회보험노조탄압관련 아셈투쟁성명서

The KIM Dae-Jung government and the NHIC
must stop its illegal repression of workers!

Korean Social Insurance Union (KSIU) represents workers of the National Health
Insurance Corporation.

	Over the past 10 years, Korean people have been calling for reform of Korea‘s
inadequate health insurance system. We have been demanding the unification of
hundreds of medical insurance units to create a single insurance system to
provide comprehensive coverage for all. Such a system is necessary to reduce the
out-of-pocket costs of low-income workers, but creating it requires significant
reform and the expansion of the social insurance system as a whole. The
government and vested interest groups have adamantly resisted such reform. KSIU,
with its history of struggling for health insurance reform, has suffered
hundreds of arrests, layoffs, and unjust disciplinary actions - but we, along
with many civic groups, finally achieved a single insurance system, as embodied
in the NHIC.
	Despite President KIM Dae-Jung’s having recently received Korea's first
Nobel peace prize, the lives of workers remains difficult. After receiving an
IMF bailout during the 1997 economic crisis, workers' lives became more
difficult than ever. The government orchestrated forceful restructuring of
companies under the pretext that the economic crisis was a result of high costs,
debt, and a rigid labor market. Capitalists, encouraged by this policy, fired
many workers from their jobs, cut wages, slackening requirements for mass
layoffs, increasing part-time jobs over regular jobs, etc. Essentially, they
used the economic crisis as a pretext for consolidating their power over
workers. These were cruel actions imposed on workers, who were not blind to the
collusion and corruption between ruling politicians and business, irrational
management resulting from protection of chaebol inheritance, and the abuses of
government-controlled finance. The present government decided to adopt a
neoliberal economic policy that would force sacrifices on workers to overcome
the crisis. Superficially, this policy appears to have been successful, but the
government and capital’s assault on workers has continued.
	The National Health Insurance Corporation implemented the government directive
for restructuring beyond the required levels. As soon as the NHIC president PARK
Tae-Young was inaugurated, he maneuvered secret plans to make unreasonable
demands on the union to eventually lead to the collapse of collective
bargaining. Once collective bargaining broke down, he called in police force to
bust striking workers, then locked workers out from the company and induced a
long-term strike. All the while, he ignored demands for sincere negotiation.
	A similar string of incidents took place in the Lotte Hotel. Labor activists
believe that the government used Lotte and KSIU as model cases for how to carry
out smooth restructuring in the latter half of 2000. In addition to these
activities, the employers disregarded basic workers’ rights and committed all
kinds of illegal actions.

	NHIC has committed illegal labor practices on many occasions. The following are
typical examples:
1. Neglecting the obligation to bargain in good faith and avoidance of
collective bargaining
2. Pressuring striking unionists to return to work and demanding the replacement
of union leaders 
3. Unilaterally violating the collective agreement between KSIU and the
employer
4. Putting out advertisements in daily newspapers to criticize the trade union
and to circulate these advertisements on the internet

The following are typical examples of the government’s illegal activities:
1. Illegal police arrests of 1,606 people and injuries caused to 100 people,
among these were serious injuries.
2. Illegal disciplinary actions violating present laws: dismissals of 124 people
and other disciplinary actions of 456 people
3. Refusal to negotiate, abuse of authority, and libel
4. Other numerous illegal actions, such as replacing striking workers, etc.

	These illegal and unjust actions have been carried out at a public institution
under the government’s direct supervision. These incidents are the result of
the government' own will and determination. In the process, 9 KSIU
unionists were imprisoned and 6 unionists have warrants out for their arrest. Of
course, no one from the employer side has been punished, even though the NHIC
management has aggressively committed illegal actions. The irony is that the
basic human rights of workers are thoroughly repressed in a country where the
President prides himself as a human rights activist and received the Nobel Peace
Prize.
	KSIU unionists are determined to fight to the end against the government and
NHIC’s illegal and unjust repression. We seek your interest and solidarity in
our struggle.