Protect the human and labor rights of Everland E-6 Visa Performance Workers!

Usually, if migrant workers leave their place of employment to find another job they become 'illegal'; even in the case of unescapable circumstances such as a plant closure, if they cannot find new work within two months they become 'illegal.' Once a migrant worker becomes 'illegal' his/her name is put on a list as a target of crackdown and detention; in one instant his/her right to life is destroyed. As such, migrant workers live every moment with the government and their employer's noose tied around their necks. Among these, female migrant workers face yet another layer of exploitation and oppression. Female migrant workers who come to South Korea on E-6 visas to work at performance and entertainment jobs are in a particularly severe situation. The case of E-6 workers at Everland Theme Park, which has recently become an important social issue, demonstrates clearly the overall plight of E-6 migrant workers.    

Hellish Slavery-like Work Environment
Performance workers at Everland are forced to dye their hair, put on make up and move around in high-heels, blamed if they trip or fall down. Including supposed 'practice time' they must labor strenuously forcing smiles and laughter for 13-14 hours. Recently workers who are short the money for plane tickets have part of their pitiful wage, which does not even reach 700,000 per month, subtracted. If a worker severely injures her back due to the difficult work and needs treatment, she immediately faces deportation; if a worker's makeup is not perfect, if customers' response is unsatisfactory, if she takes a break outside of designated rest areas or makes a mistake during a performance, her employer deducts 100,00 won from her monthly wage. This is not merely labor exploitation; it is a form of mental slavery, gender oppression and obliteration of human rights that forces workers to live a life of slavery on the grounds of Everland Theme Park.

The Problems of E-6 Workers are the Problems of Women Workers
Without even mentioning the question of migration and settlement, the reality of women workers is one of continuous sexual exploitation and/or everyday discrimination and violence that is often sexual in nature. The case of Everland performance workers who do not even have protected rights to receive a minimum wage and proper rest time, who are expelled if they become sick or injured, is a representative example of some of the most brutal conditions facing women workers One of the particular characteristics of female migrant workers working on E-6 visas is that the majority must renew their residences every six months and are only allowed to stay for one year. This system makes them all the more subordinate to the will of their employers. Because E-6 workers are supposedly performers or artists, their labor is not even recognized as such. They therefore receive no protection under Korean labor law; employers determine work hours and wages at their will. Because they do service work, their fate turns on the response of customers making it exceedingly difficult for them to stand up for even the slightest of their rights. The many female migrant workers who simply cannot stand these conditions and leave their workplaces have very limited options and are often lured into the sex industry. However,Despite this wretched situation, there is a worker who has had the courage to fight believing she is entitled to workplace accident compensation. One female worker suffered from a sprained wrist and ruptured disk in her back due to wretched work conditions. She informed her employer she wishes to apply for workplace accident compensation and stood up to give a vivid testimony about all the forms of exploitation she has experienced. This worker's courage provides a starting point from which it will be possible to demand basic rights to health and safe work. Everland responded with its own press conference, erased the criticizable content from its contract documents, and has been using tactics to stop other workers from talking. However the reality of the slavery-like contracts has already been made completely public.

Struggle!
This issue arises from the basic structure of oppression and violation of migrant workers' human rights and labor rights in South Korea. This struggle will not end with achieving workplace accident compensation. It cannot end until performance workers are recognized as workers and their employers provide a work environment consistent with the law, and a law is created specifically to protect these workers.  

Right now a taskforce to protect E-6 workers human and labor rights is working to make known the human rights violations and exploitation of performance workers, beginning with those as Everland and is working with Everland workers to prepare a lawsuit and win special supervision from the Labor Ministry. We are also working not to miss this opportunity provided by this worker's courage by increasing education and exchange between performance workers in order to build a long term response. In order to avoid many workers being deported we need careful and persistent organizing. We need the support of migrant workers, women workers and all comrades in struggle. Please demonstrate your solidarity with statements, organizing and diverse activities!  


Demands to Everland
Stop your deceitful actions!
Do not stop with just compensation, fully reform the work conditions at Everland!
We will not be silent if you try to deport workers secretly!
We declare a full-out struggle!
법무부에 요구한다!Demands to the Ministry of Justice
Recognize performance/arts migrant workers for what they are, workers!
The E-6 Visa system and Employer Permit System must be abolished immediately!
Implement a Work Permit System that will actually protect the human rights and labor rights of migrant workers!
Win minimum wage and workplace accident insurance, stop unjust penalties and firing, win the three basic labor rights! End all discrimination and exploitation of migrant workers! Lets Unit!
Gyeonggi Migrants Taskforce