On December 26, 1996, barely past the first anniversary of our establishment, KCTU catapulted into the centre stage of Korean society and politics. The month-long nation-wide general strike, triggered by the commando-like railroading of new labour laws and the National Security Planning Agency Act, above all else, paved the way for the powerful entry of workers into national life after more than thirty years of exclusion.

BUILDING a POLITICAL FORCE: The Korean General Strike reinforced the awareness that effective struggles and progress on wage, economic, social, and political concerns are only possible by combining popular activism and systematic intervention in institutions of policy- and law-making.

KCTU recognises that the effort to build effective political participation and presence requires an independent political vehicle. Such an organisation will enable workers and unions to attain positions in local government, the National Assembly, and take part in the formation of governments. KCTU's near-future plan for political empowerment is to put up candidates in the local government elections in 1998 and form a negotiating body in the National Assembly in 2000. KCTU is resolved to intervene and participate in the 1997 Presidential election on the basis of advancing the medium-term goal of building a mass-based political party.

KCTU's political empowerment programme is firmly embedded in the aspirations for democracy, national sovereignty, and peaceful reunification shared by all progressive sectors of society which have developed in the struggle against dictatorial domination. The political organisation of workers, rooted in an alliance of democratic forces from all social sectors, will develop into a central vehicle for structural transformation towards genuine democracy.

BUILDING INDUSTRIAL UNIONISM: KCTU is committed to transforming the current enterprise-union system into an industrial-union system. Industrial unionism strengthens worker unity from company to company, promotes the organising and struggle capacity of unions, and effectively distributes finances and resources among large and small unions. Industrial unionism will also create the structural opening necessary to tremendously expand the unionisation of unorganised workers and facilitate KCTU's development of effective and alternative industrial policies in the interest of all workers, including irregularly employed workers and workers in small and medium enterprises.

ENHANCING WORKPLACE DEMOCRACY: KCTU works to abolish suppression of workers and to create workplace institutions for effective union and worker participation in management-related decision-making processes. Workers face increased insecurity and alienation in the workplace, especially as a result of the rapid introduction of automation and 'rationalisation'. Guaranteeing union and worker participation in management decisions is an essential mechanism not only for the promotion of workers' rights and welfare but also to encourage companies to become socially responsible. As an extension of workplace democracy, KCTU shall also seek to develop effective participation in various tripartite bodies set up by the government, such as the Labour Relations Commission, Minimum Wage Review Committee, and Industrial Accident Insurance Review Committee.

STRUGGLE for LABOUR RIGHTS and WELFARE: KCTU works to reduce working hours, improve working conditions, build fair and safe working environments, protect a decent living wage, guarantee employment security, and eliminate all forms of discrimination.

     WOMEN WORKERS: KCTU strives to break the system which marginalises women workers as a 'supplementary' workforce and withholds their labour rights. Through collective bargaining and demands for reform of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law, KCTU is making a concerted effort to achieve gender equality in employment and promotion opportunities, pay, and job assignments. Also, KCTU insists on the implementation of policies to address sexual harassment. KCTU firmly believes that women workers must be guaranteed employment stability. Consequently, unions are countering the entrenched practice of companies' targeting women workers first in layoffs brought about by restructuring. KCTU gives priority in collective bargaining to various protective measures for maternity ' regular medical examinations, 90 days of maternity leave, childcare facilities at the workplace, and eradication of hazardous work.

KCTU recognises that these tasks must be realised through greater participation of women workers in trade union activities. To this end, KCTU is working to transform the internal working style and structure of trade unions at all levels and to develop a purposeful organising drive to increase women workers' union membership. KCTU is committed to promoting creative and equal participation of women workers in all areas of trade union activity, especially in the sphere of leadership.

     JUST WAGE: KCTU pursues a wage policy based on the overall objective of obtaining dignified incomes commensurate with the cost of living and a fair redistribution of wealth. KCTU endeavours to reduce wage differences, especially between large and small enterprises; men and women workers; and regular and irregular workers. KCTU's wage campaign, grounded in the principle of solidarity, is, therefore, a struggle against the divisive efforts of employers to pit workers against each other (through means of different kinds of employment contracts for similar work and a sub-contracting system amongst companies) in a destructive competition for the lowest possible wages.

     WORKING HOURS: The greatest factor in recent increases in wage levels in Korea -- apart from the advances made by the trade union movement -- has been long working hours. Long working hours have also been a key factor for high industrial-accident rates. An average manufacturing worker works more than 54 hours a week, 10 hours more than the legally stipulated weekly working time. While the reduction of working hours has become one of the central concerns for labour law reform, KCTU unions have begun to make significant inroads through collective bargaining. Working hours will remain a central issue as a part of the broader concern for the humanisation of labour and enhancement of the quality of life.

     EMPLOYMENT: The government and business are intent on retrenching the system of regular employment to replace it with an expanded system of subcontracting, a multi-tier wage structure, and an increase in irregular employment based on various forms of contract labour, such as temporary, part-time, daily, and dispatched labour. KCTU struggles for secure and stable employment, reinstatement of unfairly dismissed workers, prevention of mass layoffs, and expansion of viable employment for the handicapped and aged. In order to counter attacks on employment, KCTU calls for greater union participation in the decision-making processes concerning investment, company relocation, diversification, and personnel management. At the same time, KCTU is undertaking a long-term campaign to demand and build a comprehensive and coordinated system of skills training, job placement, and unemployment benefits. KCTU also identifies the diverse and serious implications of employment issues as reinforcing the urgency of developing an industrial union system to overcome the limitations of enterprise unionism.

     INDUSTRIAL SAFETY and HEALTH: Korea continues to record one of the world's highest (fatal) industrial accident rates. This is caused by long working hours, poor working conditions, and callous disregard for safety by employers. KCTU aims at bringing about a fundamental change in the philosophy and attitude of employers on the issue of work safety. KCTU struggles, on the one hand, to strengthen union involvement in preventive efforts and measures to make worker safety a first priority, and on the other, to consolidate the compensation and rehabilitation system. KCTU has also been developing greater efforts to specifically address work-related health hazards and illnesses which have long been 'sidelined' by the sheer enormity of industrial accidents.

     MIGRANT WORKERS: Since 1991, Korea has seen a tremendous influx of migrant workers who are working under some of the most strenuous and exploitative working conditions. As of 1997, there are over 200,000 migrant workers in Korea. KCTU is working with civic, labour, and religious organisations to enact a migrant worker protection law which will abolish the 'industrial trainee system' and affirm migrant workers' full rights as workers. To secure migrant workers' rights, KCTU also demands the amendment of the Labour Standards Act to extend the law's application to migrant workers. Furthermore, KCTU has begun a campaign to organise migrant workers into geographically-defined unions and enterprise level unions, as it recognises that unions are the most effective means to defend the rights and welfare of migrant workers and to develop solidarity between migrant and local workers. The need to unionise migrant workers is another source of the urgency for transforming enterprise unionism to an industrial-union structure.

STRUGGLE for SOCIAL REFORM: KCTU is developing and demanding policy measures to regulate abuses and domination of foreign and domestic monopolistic corporations, and to protect and promote small and medium enterprises and agriculture. KCTU endeavours to comprehensively reform policies regarding social security, retirement, housing, education, medical care, taxation, prices, finance, land, environment, transportation, and other social concerns. Under bureaucratic and corrupt government control, the gains of Korea's developing economy are focused into the hands of chaebols (conglomerates) while the burden of economic crisis is meted out to workers. KCTU believes that the government must assume the duty of relieving social burdens on individuals by developing and enhancing social protection and welfare vital to all the people of Korea. In our struggle not only for wage hikes and labour law reform but for all of society's interests, KCTU embraces an all-out struggle for social reform.

COMMITMENT to INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY: KCTU's growth and success in making demands on the government are significantly attributable to international support, as seen in full force for the first time during the General Strike. To strengthen the capability of workers' movements around the world, KCTU is actively participating in organisations internationally and in the Asia-Pacific region, including the ICFTU and ITSs. KCTU rejects state-unionism and any unionism controlled by employers, and fully supports democratic trade union movements across borders through joint activities in education, policy development, and campaigns. In order to engender greater international worker solidarity, KCTU is also committed to supporting workers' fighting abuse by Korean companies abroad and struggling for their trade union rights.

Decision Making Bodies

Central Executive Committee (statutory sessions once a month)
Standing Executive Commitee (weekly)

  Permanent Committee

Women's Committee
Industrial Relations Taskforce Committee
Social Security Committee
Reunification Committee
Political Empowerment Committee
Education Committee
Special Committee for Dismissed Workers

  Special Committee

Trade Union Movement Development Strategy Committee

  Regional Councils

14 Province level regional councils with district level offices in each of the councils
Regional councils have their own decision making structures and elects their own leaders
Regional councils are at the same time extension of the National Secretariat

General Administration Office
Finance
Communication
Administration

Policy-Planning Office
Planning
Employment Policy
Social Policy
Industrial Relations Policy
Industrial Health and Safety
Research and Statistics

Organising-Industrial Action Office
Internal Relations
Women Workers
Mass Action
Field Mobilisation
Organising Campaign

Education and Publicity Office
Education
Newspaper
Culture
Publicity

Solidarity Outreach and External Relations Office
Government Relations
Social Movement Relations
International Relations
Reunification Issues

Employment Security and Service Centre

The total membership as of July 1999 stands at 573,490 in some 1,226 individual unions. These are organised into 19 industrial federations, including the Korean Federation of Women Workers Unions (which was formed in July 1999). Unions in Hyundai Group and the Daewoo Group have developed a special group-level network and coordination. 2 individual unions are affiliated to the KCTU through such a group-level council. 28 individual unions are affiliated through KCTU regional councils.

The Korean Federation of Public Sector Workers Unions, the Korean Federation of Professional and Technicians Unions, and the Korean Federation of Railway and Subway Workers Unions have amalgamated to form KPSU. The Korean Federation of Clerical Labour Unions and the Korean Federation of Financial Institute Workers Unions have merged to form the KCFLU. Efforts for consolidation are underway among the three transport workers unions; the two federations of construction workers unions; the chemical and chemical-textile workers federations; and the unions in the commercial and tourism sectors. Further efforts are underway to transform the current enterprise union structure into industrial unions. More than 95% of hospital and health workers are organised into national Korean Health and Medical Workers Union, and more than half of the member unions of the Korean Cargo Transport Workers Federation have merged to formed a single union with an objective to form a single industrial union. The KMWF, the largest KCTU affiliate, plans to transform itself into a national metal industry workers union by October 2000.

All KCTU affiliate organisations are now legal, with the legalisation of the Chunkyojo in July 1999.