By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
Sixty-seven days into a hunger strike in a shoddy tent pitched atop a guardhouse at the gate of her company, Kim So-yeon, 39, the union leader of Kiryung Electronics, was transferred to a hospital Saturday. Even lying on a hospital bed in northern Seoul, she refuses to stop her fast, which hit 70 days Wednesday.
Another union member Yoo Heung-hee was also hospitalized on the same day. Their struggle has become a rallying cry for numerous temporary or contract laborers to gain permanent status at work. Kim and Yoo went to the hospital only after other laborers and civic groups members persuaded them to do so amid worries over their deteriorating health due to the hunger strikes.
After receiving basic medical treatment, however, Kim now continues her fast at the hospital. She says she is continuing it only to survive.
``The issue of temporary workers is not only about employment but also human rights,'' Kim told The Korea Times. ``You cannot easily understand the feeling of being treated like a disposable item. It's so miserable and painful. It's hard to describe that feeling.''
Some 10 female unionists started a hunger strike on June 11, setting up a tent atop the guardhouse, following fruitless sit-ins of more than 1,000 days. Most of them gave up over health problems, but not Kim and Yoo.
``I climbed up there thinking I would never walk on the ground again unless our demands were met. Of course, it was a painful experience for women,'' she said.
As they had to live in a tent, they also had to relieve themselves inside the tent. The unusually hot weather this summer also added to their pain.
Despite their hunger strike lasting 70 days, their cause is drawing little media attention because of the Beijing Olympics. Their company is also turning a deaf ear to their demands.
``You can't sleep there when it rains and you can't lie down on the ground when it's so hot. For women, everything up there was so miserable. But the most difficult thing was that the company ignored us,'' she said.
Kim has lost nearly 13 kilograms and now down to about 40 kilograms. She is refusing meals, taking only water, salt and yeast.
They did not expect their fight to last this long. Non-permanent workers at Kiryung formed a union and went on strike in August 2005 for the promotion of their job status. Their strike laid bare unfair practices at Kiryung and other companies in Seoul's Guro Industrial Complex, which indirectly hire temporary workers from outsourcing companies to avoid responsibility. In 2006, a court fined the company five million won for committing illegal hiring practices.
``If you want to talk about problems with your boss, you'll hear `We don't need you' and 'You are fired.' After overtime and overnight work, you will get a text message saying `You're fired.' We simply wanted to change these inhuman practices,'' Kim said in a weak but firm voice.
As the strike continued, the company president sat down at the negotiating table on June 7. He proposed taking on temporary workers permanently after ``a year of training,'' and the union accepted. The next day, however, mid-level managers rejected the deal and everything fell apart.
Lee and other union members resorted to an extreme measure ― fast for an unlimited period unless their demands were met.
The company says, however, that it has no legal responsibility for them since they are not on the payroll, but simply temporary workers from an affiliate.
The union says employers take advantage of loopholes in the Labor Law that require employers to promote the status of contract workers after two years of employment. Most employers, however, simply terminate the contracts just before their two-year term ends.
Kim's struggle mirrors the situation that all temporary workers face.
``I wish temporary workers wouldn't give in. A wise solution to our problems here can be the key to solving problems facing other non-permanent workers. I think the government should also come up with more practical steps to help resolve this impasse,'' she said. ``Until then, I will continue to fight.''