hankyoreh

This afternoon, a sea of tents will be going up in front of the Ssangyong Motor plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi. These "Hope Tents" are part of a battle by workers laid off by the automaker. These workers are joined by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, the Korean Metal Workers' Union, and civil society, for the withdrawal of the company's layoffs. Poised to capture voices from every segment of society, the tents represent social solidarity, just like the Hope Buses that helped bring about a resolution to the standoff at Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction.
The 2,646 workers forced out of Ssangyong in 2009 found their very survival in jeopardy, with any possibility of a humane life utterly destroyed. In particular, the 461 workers on unpaid leave, whom the company agreed to reinstate in a year's time according to a "grand labor-management bargain" in April 2010, are still wandering the streets two years and five months later, far beyond the appointed reinstatement deadline. All 80% of the fired workers are suffering from depression characterized as "severe to great," and nineteen workers or their family members have lost their lives.
Layoffs are more or less social homicide against powerless workers. According to an OECD employment report released yesterday, the unemployment benefits available to a South Korean worker in their first year out of work as of 2009 amounted to just 30.4% their pay while employed. Job-seeking benefits, which account for the bulk of unemployment benefits, are not paid for even a full year. As unemployment continues, receiving protection from the social safety net evaporates.
Many of the workers laid off by Ssangyong are now suffering from this vulnerability.
Action is desperately needed for the 461 workers on unpaid leave. These workers trusted in a pledge from the company and waited, unpaid, for the day when they could return to work. Yet Ssangyong has done nothing for them. The company contends the factory is not back up to normal operation, but its financial situation has actually taken a turn for the better this year, as the company escaped court receivership and recently recorded its highest-ever exports. By all rights, Ssangyong should be moving quickly to put the current agreement with labor into practice.
Meanwhile, the politicians and civil society who showed their solidarity and attention with the HHIC situation should now be turning them to Ssangyong, helping to guide the company toward a forward-thinking decision. Helping the fired workers to stay hopeful through the winter cold is our responsibility and moral duty as members of the community. Police, concerned about a protracted sit-in protest, now appear set to block people from setting up tents. We hope they keep in mind that an overreaction is likely to only trigger a clash.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]