South Korea: educators demand respect for workers’ rights
On 24 October, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) was officially deprived of its legal status by the South Korean Govenment. The union had been given a one-month ultimatum to revise its by-laws.
The Government does not want KTU to allow retired and dismissed teachers to be members of the union, which includes a number of teachers that were dismissed for criticizing the authorities’ education policy. KTU held a peaceful protest at the venue of an OECD meeting in Seoul starting today. KTU members brought a letter to participants informing them about recent developments in the education sector within their country.
The KTU letter states that when Korea joined the OECD in 1996 the country pledged that it would guarantee teachers’ right to organize. Although repeatedly criticized by national and international organizations, including the ILO, the Korean Government did not take any action to adjust the country’s out-of-date labour laws. Instead it has now “deprived KTU of its legal status, using the provisions which are so desperately in need of revision”. “Korean teachers want to be respected by the government”, the letter concludes.
International solidarity EI has launched an online joint campaign with the International Trade Union Confederation and Public Services International on LabourStart in support of the KTU and its members.
More than 8,800 messages have been sent to the Korean President, Park Geun-hye. More than 20 EI members have also addressed official protest letters to the head of the government.
For more information and to join EI’s campaign in support of Korean educators please click here
To read KTU letter to participants at the OECD PISA Governing Board meeting in Seoul please click here.
