History of Labor Movement in Korea

(1)

History of Labor

Movement in Korea

Kim Keumsoo

Honorable Chairperson of

(2)

Formation of wage workers

• _Commodity-

_money

_{economy started in 17}

th

and

18

th

centuries

• _{Employed labor started in state and private}

sectors

• _{The embryo of capitalism}

• _{Peasant revolts and revolution}

• _{The Ganghwado Agreement with Japan in 1876}

• _{Worker organizations organized in mining,}

seaport and transport sectors

• _{The first labor union in Korea: in May 1888}

Sungjin Bonjung Dockers Union

(3)

Colonization by Japan

(1810-1845)

• _{Japan colonized Korea in 1810 (actually}

a protectorate in 1805).

• _{Colony economy: “reform” of land,}

currency, finance, banking system.

• _{World War 1 (1814-1818), Socialist}

Revolution in Russia in 1817

• _{The March 1}

st

Movement (popular

uprising): 7000 peoples killed

(4)

1820s

• _{Growth of Working class in industrialization.}

• _{Strike in Busan dock (1821), Gyeongsung}

Rubber factory strike (1823), Yeongheung

strike (1828), Wonsan General Strike

(1828).

• _{Workers organizations established at}

national level:

(5)

Workers organizations

established at national level in

1820s

• _{Korean Laborers Mutual Aid Association (1820)}

aiming at mutual aid, awareness raising, and

employment agency.

• _{Korean Labor Federation (1822) aiming at new}

society and class unity

• _{General Federation of Laborers and Farmers}

(1824) aiming at the emancipation of workers

and farmers, struggle against capitalists

• _{General Federation of Labour (1827):}

• _{The Shanghai Provisional Government (1818)}

• _{Communist Party of Korea (1825)}

(6)

1830s

• _{The Great Depression in USA}

• _{Monopoly capitalism developed in Japan.}

• _{Industrial workers increased in Korea: 101,843}

in 1830; 188,250 in 1836; 520,027 in 1842

• _{Militarism, excessive exploitation, oppression}

over labor movement

• _{Violent and revolutionary labor movement:}

social revolution, underground activity, link with

communist party.

• _{Sit-in struggle, demonstration, sabotage,}

escape from factory.

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1845-1850

• US army occupied South Korea, while Soviet occupied North Korea

• Unemployment, high consumer price, lack of life essentials

• Anti-communism and cold war policy by US army

• In November 1845 Korea National Council of Trtade Unions(KNCTU: Chunpyong) was established with 505 delegates; 16 industrial

unions, 1,184 workplace-level locals, 500,000 members aiming at full independence, popular front government in pursuit of

progressive democracy, cooperation with national capitalists

• In March 1846 Korean Labour Federation for Independence Promotion (KLFIP: Daehan Nochong) was established with 48 delegates; 15 unions based on right-wing movement aiming at cooperation between management and union,

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1850-1860

• _{The Korean war (1850-1853)}

• _{Pro-US and anti-communist government:}

President Rhee Sungman (1848-1860),

• _{Failure of land reform, US-aid economy, the}

formation of monopoly capitals.

• _{Labor laws were made in 1853: the Trade}

Union Act , the Labor Dispute Act, the Labor

Relations Commission Act, the Labor

Standards Act.

• _{KLFIP was only accepted by Rhee government}

• _{The Rhee Sungman government was down}

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1861-1870

• _{Military coup in May 1861 led by General}

Park Junghee (1861-1878).

• _{The Authoritarian regime:}

• _{5-year economic plan}

• _{High economic growth, wide income gap}

• _{Student movement was activated}

• _{Oppression on labor movement: ban of}

union’s political activity, ban of multi-union,

complication of legal procedure concerning

labor dispute, government intervention,

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1861-1870

• _{“Reorganization” of labor movement into}

the Federation of Korean Trade Union

(FKTU) by military government.

• _{Forced establishment of industrial unions:}

union structure based on industry, but union

activity confined to company level.

• _{economic struggles were active.}

• _{Extra-Ordinary Law on Trade Unions and}

Labor Disputes Adjustment for Foreign

Invested Companies (1870)

• _{Trade union movement gave up political}

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1871-1878

• _{Military dictatorship}

• _{Export-first economy, heavy industry, Foreign}

Direct Investment

• _{The Special Law on National Security}

• _{Oppression on labor movement}

• _{Student movement, popular and workers}

movement grew.

• _{Wage workers increased: 3.78 million in 1870,}

6.52 million in 1878

• _{Low wage, long working hours, industrial}

accidents

• _{President Park Junghee was killed by KCIA chief}

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Labor movement in 1870s

• _{“Bread and better” unionism of FKTU}

• _{Increased union members (470,000 in 1870; 1,100,000}

in 1878)

• _{Extreme struggle: self-burning of Jeon Taeil in 1870}

• _{Spontaneous struggles: riot by Hyundai Shipbuilding}

workers, riot by Hyundai construction workers

• _{Strike increased (133 strikes in 1875, 110 ones in}

1876, 86 strikes in 1877, 102 strikes in 1878, 105

strikes in 1878) demanding for wage increase, the

right to organize, union democratization

• _{Intellectual and religious communities supported labor}

movement.

• _{Making of democratic unions (Wonpung Woolen,}

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1880-1886

• _{The second military coup by military Jeon Doohwan (1880-1887).} • _{The Gwangju Popular Uprising in May 1880}

• _{Union “purification” policy}

• _{Democratic unions were destroyed.}

• _{Change of labor laws: ban on multi-unionism, enforcement of}

company unionism, ban on the “third party” intervention, wage control.

• _{Government task force team on labor unions}

• _{Labor disputes increased, worker struggle for union democratization} • _{Union membership increased (850,000 in 1881; 1,300,000 in 1887)} • _{Strikes increased: 186 in 1881, 88 in 1882, 88 in 1883, 113 in 1884,}

265 in 1885, 258 in 1886

• _{Spontaneous, but non-legal struggle: labor disputes in 1880, taxi}

workers strike in 1884, Daewoo Motor strike in 1884, Guro district strike in 1885.

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The Great 1887 Workers

Struggle

• Turning point of Korean labor movement

• The results and achievements of labor movements in

1860s (embryo), 1870s (beginning) and 1880s

(growth).

• 3,748 collective actions in 1887; 1,873 strikes in 1888;

1,318 strikes in 1888. most of the strikes were

non-legal or ilnon-legal, ignoring the non-legal procedure.

• Members-led strike. Half of the strikes were staged in

non-unionized factories.

• Workers Uprising rather than industrial disputes.

• _{The biggest scale of workers struggle in Korean}

history.

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1888-1880s

• _{Internationally, collapse of socialist bloc}

• _{Nationally, conservative politics: military}

general-turned president Roh Taewoo

(1888-1882), merger among the right-wing ruling

party and 2 opposition parties.

• _{The first civilian president (1883-1887) failed to}

implement the reform of social and economic

policies.

• _{Change of two Koreas’ relationship}

• _{Structural change of Korean economy}

• _{Market opening: entry to OECD and WTO,}

absorbed into the Globalization.

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1888-1880s

• Oppression on labor movement

• Failure of labor law reform (1888-1880) and change of labor laws

• Aggressive labor policy by government (relaxation of the dismissal requirements, “no work no pay” principle, exclusive personnel and managerial rights, the government investigation on union business.

• Neoliberal policy: deregulation on capital, fexibility of labor market, government strategy of labor control, market opening.

• New Management Strategy: downsizing, fexibility, performance-based wage system, workplace control, spread of “company

culture”.

• The General Strike of 1886 December

• _{The election of liberal governments: Kim Daejung government}

(1888-2002) and Roh Moohyun government (2003-2007).

• The two liberal governments had failed to achieve the substantial reforms, but resulted in strengthening the neo-liberal regime.

(17)

1888-1880s

• Rapid development of union organizations: 2,675 unions with 1 million members in 1886; 7,880 unions with 1.8 million members in 1888, but slowdown since 1880.

• Expansion of unionized sectors: teachers, white-collar, professionals and technicians, services

• Uplift of labor disputes: 176 in 1886, 3748 in 1887, 1873 in 1888, 1616 in 1888, 322 in 1880, 243 in 1881, 235 in 1882, 124 in

1883, 125 in 1884, 88 in 1885, 74 in 1886.

• Growth of struggle capacity: drastic improvement of wage and working conditions, reinstatement of dismissed workers,

democratization of workplace, union right to personnel and managerial matters, job security, social reform

• Development of struggle form: sporadic and isolated struggle → coordinated and organized struggle; company-level struggle → regional/industrial/national struggle

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Growth of labor movement

• A new confederation based on democratic unions, the

Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) was

established in November 1885.

• KCTU declared: the equal society, rejection of

labor-management “collaborationism”, active struggle with

general capital, national reconciliation between two

Koreas, construction of industrial unionism, making of

working class as a political forces (construction of

workers party).

• FKTU deleted anti-communism in its constitution and

declared the trade unionism of democratic and

welfare society.

• Democratic Labor Party was established in 2000 in the

initiative of KCTU and got 10 seats in the National

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Current situation and tasks

of labor movement in Korea

• 4688 unions with 1.64 million members (male: 1.28

million, female: 354,368) as of 2008.

• _{Organizational form of trade unions: 4,354 unions are}

based on company-level, 228 regional/occupational

unions, 62 industrial unions, 43 industrial federations,

2 confederations (national center)

• FKTU: 2,513 unions with 740,335 members

• KCTU: 553 unions with 588,384 members

• Independent/neutral unions: 1,623 unions with

311,605 members

• _{28.4% of FKTU members belong to industrial unions;}

78.1% of KCTU members belong to industrial unions

• Union density: 10.1%

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Ideology and Politics

• _{Movement ideology:}

–

FKTU: Social Reform Unionism

–

KCTU: Social Revolution Unionism

• _{Political strategy:}

–

_{FKTU: had alliance with the right-wing}

ruling party, now has broken up with the

party, not clear direction.

–

KCTU: has supported the progressive

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