29 October 2004

 Japanese and Korean governments are having the sixth negotiation for Japan-Korea Free Trade Agreement from 1st to 3rd of November in Tokyo. Since the Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Roh Moo-hyun made an agreement to launch the negotiation, they have already had five negotiations and aimed to establish the agreement by the end of 2005.

 It becomes clear that Japan made the following requests to Korea in these agreements:

1. To revise the system about the Committee on Labor Affairs’ duty to intervene before labor dispute.
2. To stop payments for full-time union officers and union members in strike. Toughen the rule of “No work no pay”
3. To reconsider the systems of absence with leave and working hours
4. To revise the law of estimating allowance for retirement
5. To take strict speedy measures against illegal acts

 Japan Federation of Economic Organizations has insisted that it is necessary to change labor-management agreement and practices which are advantageous to workers, and so Japanese government has continued the negotiation toward putting restrictions on workers and union’s rights.

 Due to Japanese pressure President Roh Moo-hyun is tightening oppression on workers and labor unions, saying “To strengthen global competitiveness of Korean economy”. When the Seoul subway workers held a strike in July, compulsory arbitration was taken and many union leaders were arrested because they continued the strike against the arbitration. While the Deagu subway workers were on strike for three month, the management refused any sincere negotiation and tried to break up the strike. Korean government’s tough stance is taken in accordance with Japanese government’s requests.

 Japan-Korea negotiation for FTA is the same as the one for Japan-Philippine FTA or WTO. It secures freedom of multinational companies and deprives benefits and rights from workers and labor unions as an obstruction of multinationals’ activities.

 While multinationals make unprecedented profits in neoliberal globalization, workers’ life, job security, and working itself are threatened and oppression on labor unions are getting severer. The oppression which JRU has received is one of these movements. What we need to win these movements is workers solidarity beyond borders. We, JRU oppose to the negotiation for Japan-Korea FTA with Korean workers and pledge that we will fight against Japanese and Korean governments’ attack on workers and labor union.

Japan Confederation of Railway Workers' Unions (JRU)