Denunciation of the Cancellation of the Migrants' Trade Union Chairperson's EPS Visa Status
The order for departure for Migrants’ Trade Union Leader Michel is the cutting off of the tongue of the migrant worker who speaks out and the tying of the hands and feet of the fighting migrant worker and is a clear oppression of the activities of workers unions!!
This order must be cancelled and his stay guaranteed.
The Seoul Immigration Office, on the 10th of February, has cancelled Migrants’ Trade Union Chairperson Michel’s EPS visa status and ordered him to leave the country, as
per a February 14th official statement given to his lawyer. The Seoul Immigration Office stated that “despite what is stated on the papers submitted when the work permit was given, the company of that address does not exist” and “it has been confirmed that activities undertaken during his stay was not work labor as a foreign worker and therefore does not adhere to the content submitted at the time of requesting change of work place” and was therefore cancelling his visa status and requiring him to leave before March 7th.
However, we denounce these official measures as oppression against legitimate Labor Union activity and in particular a targeted crackdown on its chairperson Michel. The
government, in order to oppress the activities of the Migrants’ Trade Union, has already targeted, arrested by force and deported past union chairpersons, vice-chairpersons and secretariats. There have been no exceptions in these oppressive measures among any of the past Migrants’ Trade Union chairpersons or officers.
The Ministry of Labor exercised undue pressure several times on the company that
hired Chairperson Michel, and in the end canceled the employment permit of the business owner on December 1st. The Ministry of Justice then alleged the Chairperson had broken Immigration Law, and summoned him for questioning on December 22nd. The Ministry of Justice’s Office of Immigration claims Chairperson Michel falsely claimed employment.
This however is not true. The Ministry of Labor has already carried out an investigation under the same allegation (July 13th of last year) but could not come up with any proof of legal wrongdoing. At the time the Ministry of Labor sent official notice requesting the business owner to request a change in work place for the worker as the company was in de facto suspension of business. It was only much later in December when they one-sidedly canceled the company’s employment permit for the inadequate reason that it could not maintain labor relations because the business was in long-term suspension. This is in extreme contrast to the Ministry of Labor’s failure to investigate the pains suffered by migrant workers from unjust treatment from business owners and limitations on their rights.
It is not true that the company of the address does not exist, nor is it true that he did not engage in work labor. Chairperson Michel legally obtained recommendations and lists of businesses from the Ministry of Labor Job Center and after being hired, registered himself at the Job Center as well as at the immigration office. It only turned out there was not much work to be done at the workplace, and it was clear when being hired the business existed. It is not the laborer’s responsibility that the company has suspended business for not having enough work to do.
Therefore we think these allegations are an excuse to attack Chairperson Michel’s
legitimate labor activity. He legally obtained a job without any wrongdoing, and
to speak of labor union activity done on downtime as false employment is clearly
an act of oppression. If the government applies as much scrutiny to workplaces,
the labor conditions of migrant workers would be greatly improved.
We can only think their taking away of the Chairperson’s work permit by throwing
these allegations at him is because the Migrants’ Trade Union Chairperson
entered through the employment permit system(EPS) and has the legal right of stay, and
therefore they cannot use the target crackdown investigation tactics they had on
past officers of the Migrants’ Trade Union, and we condemn these acts as crude
and shameful.
To not acknowledge even this much union activity is to cut the tongues of all
migrant workers who speak out for their rights and to tie the hands and feet of
those who act. The government seems to have shown they want “silent” and
“obedient” slaves who “tolerate every exploitation and abuse.” This is also a
great international humiliation for the Korean government which calls itself a
human rights-abiding state.
Chairperson Michel has acted for the legitimate rights of migrant workers, as well as for
the rights of various oppressed people such as irregular workers, people displaced by development, and sexual minorities. This is another kind of contribution to the advancement of Korean society.
The Seoul Immigration Office of the Ministry of Justice must cancel its order for
departure and its cancellation of the Chairperson’s work permit and guarantee
his stay in this country!
2011. 2. 15
The Seoul-Gyeonggi-Incheon Migrants’ Trade Union at the Korean Confederation of
Trade Unions Seoul Council
