Workers still struggling 44 years after iconic self-immolation english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/663731.html Posted on : Nov.10,2014 16:45 KST Modified on : Nov.10,2014 16:45 KST • 프린트 • facebook17 • twitter3 • 0 Jeon Tae-il committed suicide in Seoul in 1970 hoping that workers would be treated as human beings The scene is the sidewalk across from the entrance to the New Hyundai Apartments in the Apgujeong neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangnam District on the morning of Nov. 9. Near a building with banks and plastic surgery clinics, a crowd of people wearing hemp shrouds sit in the cold wind. They were holding in their hands pictures of Lee Man-soo, 53, a security guard at the apartment who died on Nov. 11, one month after he set himself on fire. Dressed as mourners, the 300 protestors chanted that “security guards are people, too.” Forty-four years have passed since the self-immolation of Jeon Tae-il on Nov. 13, 1970. The young labor activist had wanted companies to abide by the Labor Standards Act and to acknowledge that people are not machines. But even today, people still continue to draw attention to the difficult conditions that workers face. Lee’s coworkers said that the reason he had set himself on fire was the abusive language and behavior of one of the residents in the apartment complex. Shin Seung-cheol, chair of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, was at the demonstration. “When you see the lovely leaves of the gingko trees falling, imagine how many times security guards are told to sweep them. Our society has come to assume that people are lazy simply because they are not regular workers.” The wife of the deceased recorded a message, expressing her desire for an apology from the residents of the apartment complex, instead of attending the demonstration. After circling the inside of the apartment complex shouting slogans about preserving workers’ rights, the protestors paid their respects at a memorial altar set up in front of the apartment office. Some residents openly expressed their hostility. “The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions is a bunch of commies. This is a capitalist place, so don’t even step foot in here,” one said. “You must be doing this protest because you don‘t have any work to do! We’ll have to get rid of the guards,” another said. The apartment residents’ association is reportedly considering the option of hiring a different maintenance company. On Sunday, the Youth Community Union held a press conference in front of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in central Seoul. The union announced that it would be pressing charges against “black corporations” that exploit young workers “like throwaway products.” “When there’s one month left in our contract, we’re always anxious about whether we can find work again. There are many young people working in places where overtime is taken for granted and break time and break rooms are not guaranteed,” said Han Ji-hye, chair of the union’s operations in Gyeonggi Province. The union has started running a website that provides information about such “black corporations” (blackcorp.kr). By Choi Woo-ri and Park Ki-yong, staff reporters
Posted on: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 17:40:22 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015