Continued Rights Violations of Kiryung Electronics Workers

KOREA: A recent trade union fact-finding mission on workers' rights violations in Korea, in which the International Metalworkers' Federation participated, expressed deep concerns over the treatment of the workers belonging to the Kiryung Electronics Workers’ Union Local of the KMWU. Kiryung Electronics discriminatorily terminated contracts and dismissed members of the union beginning in July 2005. Despite a Korean Ministry of Labour ruling that Kiryung Electronics had been illegally using dispatch workers disguised as subcontracting, the government and the company have failed to ensure affected workers are regularized as required. The company has also filed huge damage compensation suits against the union members, most of whom are women that earned minimum wage levels prior to their dismissal. This has put enormous financial duress on them, as well as aggravated the situation instead of moving it towards a resolution through negotiation and dialogue. There have also been reports of physical violence perpetrated against the women workers who participated in a union sit-in, including by Kiryung-hired Hana Entertainment agents. Violations of worker and trade union rights at Kiryung Electronics are included in a recently filed complaint to the ILO by the IMF, KMWF and KCTU. The company, which manufactures satellite broadcast receivers, digital satellite radios and global positioning systems for automobiles and other uses, supplies equipment that is installed in many vehicle models of major automakers offering Sirius satellite radio.Sep 06, 2006 – Kristyne Peter