13 October, 2010As the G20 gathers in Seoul on November 11 and 12, the International Metalworkers' Federation and its affiliates are calling on the Korean government to honour its international commitments and respect workers' rights.
GLOBAL: When Korea took a seat at the international global table for economic development in 1996 it made a commitment to reform its labour laws and meet international standards on workers' rights.
Fourteen years later, Korean laws still do not comply with international standards on protecting workers' rights and Korea is one of the worst countries in the world for the repression of its workers, trade unions and people.
The laws in Korea are used by the government and employers to routinely:
- Jail trade unionists for exercising their rights
- Stop subcontracted workers from joining a union or bargaining collectively
- Prevent many public sector workers from joining a union or bargaining collectively
The G20 is meeting in Seoul on November 11 and 12. The International Metalworkers' Federation and trade unions around the world are calling on the Korean government to honour its international commitments.
In the week leading up to the G20, unions are taking action in their workplaces, streets, cyberspace and airways and visiting Korean embassies in solidarity with Korean workers.
To support this action, IMF has released a series of campaign resources, including posters, stickers, leaflets and a government briefing note all available for downloading and printing on the IMF website here.
Unions in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK and the U.S. are contacting their governments participating in the G20, a government briefing note can be found on the IMF website.
This action is taking place in conjunction with ITUC, TUAC, BWI, EI, ICEM, IFJ, ITGLWF, IUF, PSI and UNI.