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In commemoration of International Women Workers' Day "Uniting Women Workers to succeed
in the spirit of the international women workers' day!"
The so-called distribution-driven policies have encouraged the rich to speculate in real estate to make them much richer and squeeze people more! The announced development-driven policies sacrifice workers, farmers and the urban poor, and further guarantee profitability for businessmen. People give up dreams of having their own homes due to this speculation, and consequent increases in consumers' prices and rents have left people more desperate and destitute. In such a situation, although farmers work hard, farmers are indebted and in poverty due to the open-door policy of the Korean agricultural market and the flow of foreign agricultural products into Korea at lower prices. In particular, women farmers suffer much more due to heavy workloads at home and child care. They are discriminated and excluded from assembling in their villages because they are women. How about the situation of the urban poor? Most urban poor are from the countryside due to widespread debt and poverty. They are forced out of their homes in the name of redevelopment. It is very difficult to sustain their livelihood due to the rigid enforcement of regulations against street stalls and peddling which are the basic means of their living. As described above, under such development and distribution polices oriented for the rich, farmers and the urban poor are in difficult situations and workers suffer from low wages and long working hours. In particular, women workers without proper maternity protection are expelled from their work while married. Women are mentally insane, incapable of pregnancy, and suffer from unknown diseases, because they are affected by heavy metals. Nevertheless, the Noh regime focuses on maintaining its power without any concern for such people's situations. Capitalists welcome the formation of the ruling party, threatening workers with the just provision of the minimum wage of 165,000 Won and carry out faked shop closures, dismissals and reduction in the number of workers. How can poor women fight in such conditions when the regime suppresses people in cooperation with businessmen? In order to lessen their poverty, women farmers are in the front of the struggles in the demand for compensation of dead water buffalos, for adequate pay for their agricultural products, and against the open door policy of the agricultural market. Since the massive workers' struggles in 1987 and 1988, women workers have been united very tightly, and have struggled as the main force to break discrimination against women workers. Hence, women workers played a leading role in establishing the independent National Council of Korean Trade Unions (NCKTU) in 1990. Persistent and firm struggles of married women have enabled them to become a major force in the labor movement. And, workers' wives are creating a legend of victories for workers' families and strengthening the unity of workers' families. In addition, women workers in the hospital industries, clerical workers, and female teachers fight for their trade unions. About 20 progressive women's organizations across the nation are affiliated with the Korean Women's Associations United (KWAU). We know that our unity is only a weapon for the have-nots in practice. A variety of working women should organize their battalions to fight in solidarity. Women workers as a force for changes in history should be on the forefront to solve their own problems as well as women workers' issues. Eighty-two years have passed since 1908 when American women workers fought for their rights, but we, women workers still work under discriminatory working conditions without any provision of proper basic rights. Therefore, our aim in this International Women Workers' Day is to succeed on behalf of the struggling spirits of previous generations of women workers who tried to solve women's issues and break through unequal labor practices, and at determining that women workers will be in the front of constructing women's equal rights and a democratic society. "Uniting Women Workers to succeed in the spirit of international women workers' day!" Women workers, please gather together in the rally in celebration of International Women's Day to obtain the equal right to work and maternity protection. Women Workers' practical tasks in 1990:
Written by KWWA |