hankyoreh

including the Buddhist Human Right Committee and Catholic Priests’ Association for Justice

It has been 70 days since the strike at the Ssangyong Motor’s Pyeongtaek plant began, 14 days since food was cut off, and eight days since water and gas was shut off. The striking workers at the plant have been faced with continuous scorching weather, too. In a telephone conversation with the Hankyoreh Wednesday, the striking workers said they had not realized how precious water was and hoped for rain.

People from all walks of life are bringing drinking water and medical supplies to the plant and demanding that the basic rights of the striking workers be respected. However, hundreds of company employees are blocking the delivery of water and medical supplies as police look the other way. Four tons of water had been piled at the front gate of the factory by Wednesday.

The striking workers are unable to drink water or even dream of using water for hygiene purposes, with the exception of ridding themselves of tearing agents. The roughly 600 workers are using two makeshift toilets made from steel drums. There are an estimated 100 workers who are suffering from skin wounds as a result of the tearing agents released by police on July 20, and the number of people with torn ears or severe blisters on their feet continue to grow.

As news of their plight spreads, pleas for humanitarianism are coming in. Around 50 people, including members of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), doctors with Korean Citizens for Health, Reverend Jo Heon-jeong, Father Mun Jeong-hyeon, Venerable Myeongjin and Venerable Musong held a press conference in front of the Pyeongtaek plant Wednesday at 2 p.m. They pleaded that the delivery of water, food and medical supplies be permitted so that the striking workers could enjoy a minimum of rights as human beings. They brought a ton of drinking water to the front gate, but were blocked by about 200 company employees. Afterwards, KCTU unionists convened a rally at the Pyeongtaek Jiwon Intersection, during which some 3,000 people participated, including Democratic Labor Party Chairman Kang Ki-kap. Participants from the rally attempted to march to the plant, but were stopped by police and a violent clash ensued.

Although demands and pleas from civic groups to the government to guarantee the basic rights of the Ssangyong Motors workers are flooding in, the situation is not improving. The International Labour Organization recently sent a communication to Labor Minister Lee Young-hee regarding the guarantee of the basic human rights of the striking workers, but it has not gotten a response. The KCTU filed an emergency request for relief for the Ssangyong Motors workers with the National Human Rights Commission on July 27, but that, too, has yielded no response thus far.

On the matter of providing water to workers, the company says it would just prolong the strike and gave assurances that striking workers are able to get medical treatment at a company-designated hospital. The police meanwhile are saying that the shut off of water and gas was a measure taken by the company, and that the entry of medical teams are permitted.

Meanwhile, a group of citizens concerned about the Ssangyong Motors situation delivered a list of 170,156 signatures to the company Thursday. The citizens are demanding a compromise between labor and management by the end of the month and are urging both sides work to provide a convincing plan for recovery to the government and the company’s creditors. At a briefing on the interim investigation results of the strike, Gyeonggi-do police said they have apprehended 327 people for illegal actions. Out of this figure, three unionists and six others were detained, and 132 were booked without detention.

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