SEOUL — On July 29, more than 13,000 workers and students amassed in the city centre to mark one month since the Kim Dae-Jung regime violently cracked down on striking workers from the Lotte Hotel and the Public Health Insurance Office. Using flares and stun grenades, around 3000 fully armoured cops had savagely beaten both groups of workers to break up workplace occupations that had been part of the strikes.
After listening to speeches at Seoul Railway Station, the protesters marched to Myongdong Cathedral, the traditional refuge of workers fleeing state repression. Singing anthems of the democratic union movement and rhythmically punching their fists into the air, the workers were an inspiring sight.
The solidity of every contingent was intensified by the wearing of distinctive union vests and multitudes of brightly coloured banners, each union federation sporting its own colour: green for the construction workers, red for the public insurance workers, blue for the metal workers, and many more. The rally and march were part of a national day of mobilisation organised by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions.
The Social Insurance Workers Union made up the largest contingent, comprising well over half of the marchers. The SIWU's more than 7000 members had converged in Seoul from all over the country for the week.
Since the 1987 upsurge and the birth of the democratic union movement, South Korean workers have tended to campaign in a highly mobile way, often setting up snap tent-cities and workplace occupations. In this tradition, the SIWU carried out a series of "guerilla actions" around Seoul during the week, including a vibrant mass protest outside the headquarters of the Public Health Insurance Office on July 27.
Despite severe police intimidation, the SIWU repeatedly attempted to re-occupy the office building. After several charges into police lines and a subsequent stand-off, the workers made a tactical retreat to Myongdong Cathedral.
The SIWU is struggling to force the government to meet its 50% commitment to the national health insurance scheme, for the scheme to be expanded to cover specialist treatment, and for all the public insurance plans to be merged into a single social insurance scheme (hence the union's name).
It was truly moving to witness such determination for such selfless demands on the part of white-collar workers who 20 years ago would have felt themselves to be above the working class. The SIWU, which was born in the 1987 upsurge, has a proud tradition of vigorous strike activity for demands that benefit the whole working class.
During the SIWU's week of action, the government tried to defuse the situation. During a meeting at the Blue House, (the presidential palace), the regime offered significant pay increases to the workers in exchange for an end to their campaign.
The SIWU flatly refused. Neither cowered by the vicious police attack nor softened by the bribe attempt, the union's contingent at the July 29 rally seemed all the more determined.
BY IGGY KIM