Greetings from South Korea
We, the ETU-MB (Equality Trade Union, Migrant's Branch), are a nation-wide union comprised solely of migrant workers. To our knowledge, we are the only one in existence in the world. We are front line strugglers.
Currently, there are 290,000 undocumented migrant workers in South Korea, comprising 85% of all migrant workers here. We came here as "industrial trainees" with dreams of a better life but were treated as bonded slaves. But as human beings, we fled our trainee jobs. We mostly work in small and medium sized factories and we contribute greatly to Korea's economy both as workers and consumers. Despite the valuable role we serve, we are treated by the Korean government as less than human. We are imported and exported like a material commodity when our usefulness has ended or if we try to force the government to regard us as human.
As marginalized and disenfranchised workers, migrants are very vulnerable to abuse. To alleviate the injustices that they endure in Korea, migrant workers rely heavily on the benevolence/charity of church groups and NGOs to provide protection and advocacy. But charity does nothing but further disempower us. It is for this reason that we formed the ETU-MB. We are not asking anyone for charity. We are demanding our full human and workers rights FOR OURSELVES.
Because we are organized, we pose a serious threat to the Korean government's exploitative migrant worker policy that regards us as a commodity. We are also the first to be targeted during annual crackdown periods and we are harassed by police regularly. Refusing to be demeaned by these tactics, we stand strong and proud. We are the only self-sufficient migrant worker organization in Korea that is staunchly fighting for worker self empowerment, worker's three rights, and eventual naturalization. However, our union is in constant danger of being destroyed by government repression. Currently there are 2 ETU-MB members in confinement awaiting deportation.
Since the passing of the EPS (Employee Permit System) July 31 2003 in the National Assembly, we are now in more danger than ever. While previous crackdowns have been vicious, this one will be the worst. With the new EPS removing the ambiguous status of worker legitimacy, there is no question: all workers that have been in Korea for longer than 4 years will be deported. Tragically, 2 migrant workers recently committed suicide rather than face deportation.
The EPS, while hailed by the government as a progressive migrant policy, is anything but. While at first glance it appears to allow workers to organize, it ultimately pre-empts organization through a provision that requires workers to re-apply for visa renewal from their bosses each year. If they are refused, they must leave the country and seek new employment. This will effectively kill the fledgling migrant union movement as workers will be primarily concerned with their visa re-issuance every year, and will continue to remain at the mercy of their bosses. Moreover, the EPS still chains workers to oppressive and demeaning work conditions by forbidding them to change workplaces. These two aspects of the EPS contravene both the United Nations convention on migrant workers as well as the International Labor Organization convention on worker's rights. Korea is a member of both organizations.
Typically, migrant workers pay brokers between $5000 and $8000 US to get to Korea. And it usually takes up to 4 years of hard work and penny pinching to pay this money back. With the new system in place, up to 100,000 workers whose families depend on them for support will be left in the lurch, deported before they can earn back these expenses. Moreover, once a worker has used up their 4 cumulative working years, he can never enter Korea again for the purposes of work.
The ETU-MB is vehemently against the new EPS (and also the Industrial Trainee System which it was designed to replace but was co-implemented with instead) as it is an oppressive policy. Instead, we have proposed another policy: the WPS (Work Permit System) which will allow us to work in Korea for up to 5 years, give us freedom to change workplaces, and ultimately provide the possibility for naturalized worker status. We believe the WPS recognizes our humanity, our valuable economic role not only to Korea but to our countries of origin, and our status as workers with all the rights that entails.
The ETU-MB is in constant danger. But our struggle will continue as long as migrant worker movement in Korea is repressed and workers are exploited.
We need your solidarity and support! We need to create a global migrant's solidarity struggle network!
Please let us know of your struggle and we will work together in solidarity for workers rights across the planet!
Please send an email to Roh Moo-hyun at:
Hold a solidarity demo at your local Korean embassy/consulate (and we can do the same for you!)
visit our website at http://migrant.nodong.net
Please send the letter of protest to the Ministry of Justice and to the President of South Korea.
President Roh Mu Hyun: president@president.go.kr
Ministry of Justice
Ms. Kang Kum-sil: kskang7@moj.go.kr
Workers of the world UNITE!!!
ETU-MB
and in solidarity:
KCTU (Korean Confederation of Trade Unions)
Hanguk Migrant Worker's Human Rights Center, Incheon
Nepal Struggle Team
KASAMAKO (Migrate Sectoral Party-Seoul Korea Chapter)
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our leaflet for migrant workers, until now not supporting our struggle 
