In Commemoration of March 8 International Women's Day
National Women Workers Rally for Employment Secruity and Expansion of Organization
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No sex discriminatory retrenchment!
Reduce working hours! Create jobs!
In 1908, 15,000 women textile workers in the USA staged a groundbreaking and historical strike calling for the attainment of political equality, freedom of organization of unions and wage increases.
On Saturday, March 6, 1999, thousands of Korean women workers are gathering together at Youngdeugpo-gu Community Hall in Seoul in promotion of employment security and expansion of organization.
Aims
1. It is to identify the current status and pending demands of women workers in commemoration of the 91st March 8 International Women's Day.
2. It is to promote further cooperation and solidarity in women workers' movement by way of co-hosting between the two national trade union centers and two other women organizations.
3. It is to foster public consensus on the reality of women workers who are generally marginalized in the society, thereby efficiently laying the groundwork to raise social awareness of the difficulties of women workers.
4. It is to further our determination to solve the imminent issues of women workers such as employment and unemployment.
Main Issues Concerned
- No gender-biased retrenchment!
Immediately stop workforce reduction-oriented restructuring!
Penalize unfair labor practices and implement measures for wage arrears!
No backward adjustment towared maternity protection in the pretense of the economic crisis!
Drop the implementation of performance evaluation system unfavorable to women workers in restructuring!
Instantly stop the unfair exit of women-concentrated departments and jobs!
- Reduce working hours! Create more Jobs!
Implement the 40-hour work week right now!
Expand the number of women labor inspectors!
Create more public sector jobs and introduce a quota system for more women employment!
Take stern actions against illegal discrimination in hiring!
Abolish the preferential treatment given to those completed military service to guarantee equal employment opportunities!
- No discrimination against non-regular workers!
Cease the employment policy driving women workers out to non-regular jobs!
Punish employers forcing regular women workers to land non-regular jobs!
Ensure full application of the labor relations laws and the Social Insurance Act to all non-regular workers!
Eradicate all discriminatory practices against and between regular and non-regular workers!
- Establish measures for women's unemployment!
Strengthen the function of public job placement centers to the full!
Legislate a basic livelihood protection act and secure the minimal livelihood!
Reduce armaments, reform the taxation system, confiscate chaebol owners' personal assets, and considerably expand the unemployment fund!
Include women in assessments of the government's unemployment measures!
Change public works projects into socially needed mid- to long-term employment!
Drastically increase the payment days of unemployment benefits.
Compile and announce the accurate and realistic statistics about women workers' unemployment situation!
Immediately establish a job creation policy for newly unemployed women workers!
Reinforce the administration capacity to deal with the expanded coverage of the Employment Insurance in realistic terms!
Rallies
In Seoul :
Rally in Seoul
Time & Date: 2:30pm, Saturday, March 6, 1999
Venue: Youngdeungpo-gu Community Hall
Featuring a videotaped film: Women workers' labor movement trend in 1998
Musical: Hope, a bright future (Performance group "O-reum")
Regional rallies
City |
Time & Date |
Venue |
Kwangju |
6:30 pm, March 9, 1999 |
Grand Auditorium,YWCA |
Masan |
6:00 pm, March 10, 1999 |
Ever Green Hall |
Inchon |
6:30 pm, March 11, 1999 |
Grand Conference Room,
Boo-pyung District
Office (7th F1.) |
Chinju |
March 12, 1999 |
Kyung Sang
University (tentative) |
Pusan |
2:30 pm, March 13, 1999 |
Small Auditorium, Civic Hall |
Ansan |
2:30 pm, March 14, 1999 |
Grand Conference Room, Ansan Women Welfare Hall |
Cholla-pukdo |
2:50 pm, March 20, 1999 |
Kunji Art Hall, Chon Puk University |
Herstory of the March 8 Rallies
1. 1998 rally was proceeded in the following order :
(1) Central Rally
- Aims
- Major issues concerned
- Opening procession
- Key note speech
- Solidarity and congratulatory messages
- Slide presentation
- Original musical
- Demands
- Resolution
- Street march
(2) Regional rallies
Area |
Content |
Inchon area |
Women workers in Inchon area towards employment security and social equality |
Kwangju area |
Social equality based on employment security |
Masan-Changwon area |
Rally of the workers in Masan-Changwon area for employment security and social equality |
Pusan area |
9th Pusan women's rally |
1994 - "Korean women workers' rally for social equality and employment stability"
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Part 1 Opening speech/ Commemorative speech/ Solidarity messages/ Keynote speech
Part 2 Traditional song and dance performance
Demand: "Immediately drop the plan to abolish menstrual leave!"
Singing performance in celebration of March 8
Monodrama, "Working women"
Poetry reading, "A day of a hospital worker"
Singing performance by "We"
1994 women workers' declaration
1993 National women workers' rally-"Women workers standing up for their rights in the workplace"
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Part 1 Opening speech/ Commemorative speech/ Solidarity messages from all over the world/ Special assertion on women's policy
Part 2 Special performances, "All gathered here", "Women in the workplace, growing children", and "Women as partners of the workplace and as half the world"
Part 3 Street march
1992 rally for the advancement of women workers
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Part 1 Thinking of Kwon Mi-kyung - opening address / Assertion: "Let's make an all-out effort to protect our workplace from ever reinforced labor oppression."
Part 2 "Let's make it a pleasant workplace of lifetime" - Opening speech & solidarity messages / Musical / Presentation of an actual case: "Until the day we regain our deprived work clothes" / Skit performance / Singing performance / Resolution
1991 rally for the advancement of women workers - "To ensure the lifetime equal working right"
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Part 1 Advancing women workers - slide presentation, opening speech & encouragement speech
Part 2 To ensure lifetime equal labor rights - assertion: "Obtain employment stability and ensure the lifetime working right" / Voices of married women workers / Skit performance by "Mother", "Right to work to mothers, right to be protected to children"
Part 3 "Women workers opening the new days of 1991" - traditional song and dance / Resolution in poem
1990 rally for the advancement of women workers - "Unite and advance for equal work and healthy maternity"
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Resolution
Part 1 Opening speech / Solidarity messages / Congratulatory speech / Introduction of the participating unions
Part 2 Selection the women workers' song of the year / Instigating speech- "Why in the world half the remuneration for the workers of the same qualification?"
Case presentation - "We will travel to the end of the world to acquire our rights."/
Musical - Worries on inflation and housing rent increase wrinkles on the face but..."/
Podtry reading / "Our utopia " by hospital workers / Play
1989 rally for the advancement of women workers - "Cut off the chain of discrimination, unite and advance!"
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Part 1 Opening session Traditional opening dance and procession / Selection of the song of the year
Part 2 Forwarding session Presentation of successful struggle cases / Eloquence - "Toward the 1989 wage increase struggle" / Skit performance - "Precious maternity protection in the hands of women workers!" / Musical - "Workers' families, let's go together till the day of labor independence!"
Part 3 Determination session Play - "Democratic union, our hope" / Resolution / Closing song and dance performance
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