Tusentals poliser har attackerat sydkoreanska metallarbetare

Över 700 sydkoreanska metallarbetare vid bilfabriken Ssangyong har sedan i slutet av maj strejkat för att få förhandla om de neddragningar fabriksledningen vill genomföra. – Med misshandel, tårgasattacker, stopp för matleveranser och genom att stänga av el och vattenleveranser har den sydkoreanska polisen brutalt åsidosatt internationella mänskliga rättigheter vid bilfabriken Ssangyong, säger IF Metalls förbundsordförande Stefan Löfven, som under torsdagskvällen uppvaktade den sydkoreanska ambassaden.

– Genom Internationella Metallfedrationen och kontakter med sydkoreanska metallfacket har vi fått dramatiska bilder på hur arbetare brutalt slås ner. Polisen har även arresterat strejkande arbetare som varit tvungna att uppsöka läkarvård, säger Stefan Löfven. Inte minst genom internationella fackliga påtryckningar har en uppgörelse nu träffats vid fabriken. Men när de 700 strejkande på eftermiddagen den 6 augusti lämnade fabriken blev de förhörda och deras personuppgifter noterades av polisen. Några släpptes medan andra omedelbart togs med till arrest. Därmed är frågan inte löst. – Det är nu viktigt att vi internationellt fortsätter att följa strejkens rättsliga efterspel och de återstående förhandlingsfrågorna , säger Stefan Löfven. Under torsdagskvällen träffande Stefan Löfven och IF Metalls internationella sekreterare Mats Svensson minister Moon Up Sung på den sydkoreanska ambassaden i Stockholm för att personligen och för vidarebefordran till Sydkoreas president Lee Myung-bak framföra IF Metalls skarpa kritik och upprördhet över hur mänskliga rättigheter har åsidosatts. Till redaktionen: Ytterligare information, IF Metalls internationella sekreterare Mats Svensson, 070-310 04 45 För ev intervjuer med Stefan Löfven kontakta IF Metalls pressombudsman Lasse Ankarfjäll, 070-535 60 64 Några bilagor och länkar: Länk till film som visar polisbrutaliteten: http://www.tagstory.com/video/video_post.aspx?media_id=V000348803 På IMF, Internationella metallfedrationens, hemsida finns material och bilder, www.imfmetall.org Material finns även på IF Metalls och dagens arbetes hemsida www.ifmetall.se www.da.se Bilaga: brev som den 6 augusti överlämnades till Sydkoreas ambassad. Dear Mr. President Lee Myung-bak, In capacity of President of IF Metall, the Swedish national trade union representing 400.000 blue-collar workers in mining, metal, chemical and textile sectors, I wrote you a letter 23rd July to express my deep concern for the safety and welfare of the workers on strike at Ssangyong Motor Pyeongtaek plant. We have just learnt that the management and the trade union have reached an agreement. Nevertheless, even if the labour dispute at Ssangyong now is over there is some issues that we think is important for you to look into and carefully follow. Firstly we demand that you ensure that no legal charges will be raised against any of the persons or organisations that have taken part in or been involved in the labour dispute. We expect that you ensure that no workers, no KMWU union officers or other union organisations that have been involved in the Ssangyong Motor strike will be prosecuted. We have learnt that shortly after the agreement has been reached around 50 strikers have been jailed and immediately transported from the sit-in strike to the police jail. Police, before either taken to jail or let go, is interrogating workers inside the factory. Thos who are taken immediately to jail have not received medical care. We urge you to ensure that all imprisoned union leaders and Ssangyong workers will be immediately released. We ask you to ensure that the government take a leading role in guaranteeing good faith and genuine negotiations towards employment security for KMWU Ssangyong members. We expect you to ensure that management will not take advantage of the workers coming out of the strike. Lastly we have followed the dispute closely and we have learnt that the situation for the some 800 Ssangyong workers on strike has been deadly and that their welfare and safety has been subjected to excessive force and repression by your government. I am especially concerned about: - the dropping of corrosive chemicals from helicopters on the strikers, - the shooting of sit-in strikers with taser guns that have inflicted life threatening injuries, - the denial of basic medical treatment for the injured, - the cutting off of electricity and - the denial of access to food and water. Our members and myself are shocked by this use of force, violence and weapons in response to an industrial dispute where proper industrial relations are the normal response. We would like to make you aware of the fact that your government’s way of handling the labour dispute has been in breach of international human rights and labour rights standards to which Korea must uphold. The UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials states that in no circumstances is it permissible for management or law enforcement officials to attempt to bring a strike to an end by denying the strikers access to essential needs such as food, water or urgent medical treatment. Sorry to say, but the Korean government has shamed itself in front of the entire international community by its way to handle this labour dispute. Hopefully, there will not be any future labour disputes in Korea were the denial of basic needs such as food, water, medical care, electricity, corrosive chemicals, weapons, helicopters and several thousands of riot policemen is used to stop workers from exercising their international recognised rights. It is urgent for you and your government to bring Korean labour legislation up to date with international principles of workers rights such as ILO-conventions 87 and 98 guaranteeing freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. That will give you a good opportunity to implement proper industrial relations on the labour market. Sincerely, IF Metall Stefan Löfven President