Korean steelworkers press on
By Eva Cheng
Against great odds, almost 190 Sammi Specialty Steel workers in South Korea are continuing their long struggle for jobs and justice after 580 workers were dismissed by the Pohang Steel Company (Posco) when it took over the company in December 1996. An extended protest march is scheduled to reach Seoul on March 18.
Beginning in Pusan in the country's south-east, the protesters formed two groups and marched along different routes to Seoul. They have met with many unions and grassroots organisations on the way.
Posco did not have the legal right to dismiss the workers, according to a December 1997 ruling of the Central Labour Relations Committee. Posco's appeal to the Appellate Court was rejected on January 19, 1999. On both occasions, Posco was ordered to reinstate the workers but it ignored the rulings. The case is now pending in the Supreme Court.
The workers' actions have included extended occupations at their base in Ulsan, in the south-east, and in Seoul. March 18 was day 1179 of their campaign, the longest such struggle in South Korea's history.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions has appealed for international solidarity for the Sammi workers. Protest messages can be faxed to: South Korea's President Kim Dae Jung on 82 2 770 0210; Prime Minister Park Tae Jun on 82 2 722 6464; the labour minister on 82 2 504 6708; and Posco's president on 82 2 3457 1900.
The workers' moving struggle is documented in Our Four Seasons, a documentary produced by Sammi Specialty Steel Co. Labour Union and Labor News Productions. It can be ordered via the Democratic Socialist Party, PO Box 515, Broadway 2007, e-mail <dsp@dsp.org.au>.