"So Much Strange to be Understood"
In the time of opening Chunjihyup CUG on January, 1996, this was the title of an
article given in Train on the Dawn, February 1996, the periodical issued from the
crew department of Seoul Subway Trade Union. The writer of the article who
was in charge of policy manager, and has been known as one of the remarkable
expert in the Union's policy part argued the need for using technology. The
summary of the article goes as follows,
-When technology made faximilie-using communication possible, people, at first, had
been surprised and shocked by an unfamiliar medium technology rather than enjoyed
conveniences it gave. After all, however, conveniences took over and everyone has
now taken advantage of it in daily life. Whether the development of technology can
do good or harm on man depends totally upon how and by whom it is controlled.
Technological innovation brings about labour reduction, and results in accumulating
capital by saving surplus wages. This show us wrong direction toward which
technology can be led. Take an example in similar situation, the European efforts in
both labour movement and social policies to take reduced job opportunity as the
shortened working time of all the labours seem to imply the essential meaning of the
technological development. The capital always tends to regulate labour part, and in
these technologically advanced time, with new system on personnel management, or
new management strategies. This kind of intrigue from th capital isn't without
exception in subway labour part at all. Reducing employment has come with the look
of automatization or re-organization of personnel management. And in 1995's wage
strike 10% of all the Union members learned the process of work-out negotiation
through the Cooperation's "Quick Reports", not through leaflets from the Union center.
Now we can take serious lesson from it. It's the time we should give more stress on
computerizing the Union's business and service, and on using PC communication for
informing and instructing the members as well as for broadening members'
participation in many decision makings, which is a way for the Union democracy.
As a manager of Chunjihyup CUG in Seoul Subway Crewing Depart.(ΑΦ1), I was
strongly impressed by the article. Even though the writer was so called a
computer-illiterate, he could understand and emphasize, with his own word
"computerizing the Union's business and services", the need for data-processing in
labour movement. He has often advised me on the CUG activities.
Meanwhile a senior member of the Union who once took a charge of propaganda
department at the time of opening CUG, and now has been dismissed by the
Cooperation strongly suggests opening Chunjihyup home page on Internet, and says
we should concentrate more on pubulic relations abroad, and on strengthening the
international collaborations in wordwide labour movement.
II. Launching out into the Chunjihyup CUG and Current Situation
1.Launching out into Chunjihyup CUG
With a great awakening to the importance of CUG during Korea Telecom struggles in
Spring, 1995, many activists in the fields suggested opening of CUG in Subway Trade
Union. Being in the public sector, Subway had maintained relatively much
stronger committee in propaganda and public relations part than any other unions in
private sector. Therefore with these committee as a central group Chunjihyup CUG
was opened in December, 1995 including Seoul Subway Trade Union, Pusan Subway
Trade Unilon, and Organization for Trade Union of Korea Railroad Labours. Because it
played essential and important role from the start of the CUG, the propaganda and
public relations have become the most active part in operating the whole CUG, targeting
both all members of the Union inside and the general public outside. On this basis it
organized "PC Comm. Propaganda Team for the General Public" and was successful
during wage strike in 1996, and the first General Strike in December, 1996 on the issue
of revising Labour Law.
2. Operating of Chunjihyup CUG
Chunjihyup CUG's major stress goes to the following 3 parts.
[Membership Forum]
This part functions as a room for broadening communication among the members or
between members with the Union. Taking the best use of the bi-directionality in PC
communication, it also aims at easing the stiffness, supplimenting bureaucratic
shortcomings, and strengthening democracy of the Union. For these better goal, the
Union tries to lead many ordinary members to join the CUG.
[Chunjihyup Data-Base Room]
This is a space to file existing documents and to build a systematic Data-Base. There
have been revealed practical problems in operating it, but if this part is fully organized,
it will be possible to keep documents safely and to control them efficiently. Then it
can also give prospects for connecting all the other parts of the Union through
interchanging files among several groups, disciplining members, and Data-Baseing
members' personal record, etc.
[Subway for the Public]
Subway being a public sector, sharing and the consensus of opinion with the general
public is important. So this part is for expressing and exchaging interests each other,
reaching at the public opinions, so tightening the bond of the two. Through the
channels such as "Q & A", and "Subway Information" it is also trying to keep up
with the public's practical problems or dissatisfactions.
III. Example of Closed User Group(CUG) or PC Communication
1. Example of CUG use in usual acivity of labor union -- Crew Department/Seoul
Subway Labor Union
The Crew Department of Seoul Subway Labor Union is the organization which
uses PC communication most effectively in Korean Subway Labor Union
Federation(KCLUF). The Crew Department took its own advantage, i.e. concentration of
workplace to 8, compared to other kinds of occupation. Then branch and 8 chapters
have already entered CUG before 1996 wage-boost strike. In the early stage, they had
the Chef of Communication, and later have instructed officials in responsible posts
to be able to use basic computer program or PC communcation.
Eventually, the instrument got good results since the second half of 1996. When the
education of members of union and reinforcement of organization was required
as labor laws amendment struggle grew more fierce, we were good use of PC
communication. Before PC communication use, the message of urgent problem was
conveyed at the spot very slowly, because education phamplet, struggle problem and
instruction is transmitted by branch leader or by telephone. However, the convey
problem is solved completely, the modem being established in the branch office, and
experts of PC communication employed. In other words, quick and precise message
interchange between branches reached not only at members of union's education but in
the field of organization/policy. This is a example of great combination of labor union
activity and informalization.
2. Example of PC communication use as propaganda activity under strike
Like above tablet, at 1996 wage-boost struggle and under the strike claiming
labor law amendment, we entered a prompt report in a main newsborad of KCLUF
CUG and BBS, composing of "PC Communication Propaganda Group". Originally, this
group was made up of student applicants, worked under the struggle center. While,
through twice previous activities, it is evident for subway labor union itself to make up
this group. Judging from activity of "Communication Aid Group" under the strike,
the progressive communication group or members will specialize in wide-range
propaganda and making public-opinion for support. In addition, "Subway Labor Union
PC Communication Group" will recompose in order to put the quick and precise prompt
reports in the communication.
3. Example of Labor Union Administrative Computerization and Practice of Education
Program -- Formation and Activity "Labor-Informalization Group"
"Labor-Informalization Group(LIG)" was organized so as to solve the KCLUF
CUG's problems. Namely for 6 month, after forming KCLUF CUG, many of
organziations and members joined in CUG very rapidly, but later joiners have not
increased. Because, only small part have concerned about labor union administrative
computerizaton or CUG problems in Subway Labor Union, it is not performed
organically and strongly. Therefore some part of "KCLUF CUG operation" and a few
active person joined together, made up meeting for the purpose of 'Modern Establishing
in branches and practice of Education Programs'. Through the one-month discussion,
they began to meet from "Ch'ang-dong branch" out of 9 branches of vehicle branch in
December 1996, and accumplied Modem Establishing, ID opening, practice of education
programs. However, branches can not afford to Modem establishing, moreover LIG
members have little time to work owing to being their responsible posts(i.e. leader,
propaganda editorial member).
IV. The Limitations of CUG of the National Conference of Subway Labor Union and
the Means for solution on them
(A amended selection from [A proposal for activation of CUG of the National
Conference of Subway Labor Union(NCSLU)] which was presented to Central
Executive Committee of the Subway Labor Union of Seoul)
1. The necessity for a new understanding on the infor-communication fields
Most of the executive members have not a negative point of view on the
information-oriented, nevertheless they have a tendency to evasion to face up to it. At
present, the CUG of NCSLU has been crashed into some limitation. The fundamental
cause for this bases on the fact that the executive members who have to put the
information-oriented positively into practice are not progressing actively. Let the
General Staffs take charge of the field on something technical. And the executive
committee have to resolve the systematic tasks. Moreover, with understanding on
interactivity of PC-communication, we need to consider the opinions which are
proposaled to CUG by union members privately from the standpoint of "strengthening
the democratic principles inside union".
2. The secutity of the sole charger on the infor-communication field and the
organization of its committee
We are in need of the sole charger, who can manage CUG stablely and can be easily
approachable to the datum of union for systematic management on them. At the samd
time, the [Infor-Communication Committee] must be organized in order to secure the
passageways toward the actual spots and to make progress with concentrative the
larger information industry.;Data-Base construction of the union datum, computerization
of the report cards of union members, education program on the computer/PC
communication for union members, etc. In our judgement, if we can unify the three
team--[Group for Labor Media], [Managing Staff of CUG of NCSLU], [Group for
Computerization on Business of Labor Union]--in which their roles are now
diversified, then it must be possible that the [Infor-Communication Committee] is
organized.
3. The concentrative investments on information industry for organization in actual spots
The joining rate of units under the three labor unions--Subway Labor Union of Seoul,
Subway Labor Union of Pusan, Committee for Domocratization of Rail Road's Trade
Union --are at the most 20%.
Accotcing to an examination, in cases of units in actual spots which have offices,
nearly most of the organizations possess PC more than 486. Therefore it is very
important to secure a budget for installation of modem and common telephone.
Computerizing the business of organizations in actual spots must be progressed
systematically, because it will obtain its excellent results with the central executive
committee and the branchs and all of the organizations in actual spots.
4. The systematic Data-Base construction on the datum of labor union
We have to note that the datum date-based in PC communication would be kept
almost permanently, and that it would be easy of reference. But, up to now, the
datum of labor union have not been constructed in CUG of the NCSLU, with the
execption of propaganda cotents on the fields of propaganda and edit.
In order to put CUG to practical use to the extents of every fields as well as the
fields on propaganda and edit, we must systematically construct the existing datum of
each core posts of duty--the ceters and the branches of three labor unions. Between
organizations the interchange of datum have to be done publically for union members
through "the morgue of membership" but not E-mail.
5. The Date-Base construction on the report cards of union members
As a matter of fact we now depend upon the assistance of public corporation side for
fundamental and core matters--the report cards of union members, the voter's list,
etc--of labor union. In view of pecular circumstances of subway, in which there are
many members and the actual spots are scattered here and there, we must resolve
these problem with complementary, through not only choosing the visiable program
for management of the labor union but also applying the CUG adequately. If we could
reach an agreement with a PC company, then we would construct in CUG the
Date-Base on the report cards of union members, which are fit for the labor union.
6. The practical use with CUG under strike as the tatics of organizations
To now days, in every strikes, the CUG and the PC communication have been put to
practical use for outside propaganda means in the fields of propaganda and edit. But in
the future, the boths must be put to practical use for the tatics of organizations. When
we take the tatics of the "stronghold struggle" or the "scattering sturuggle classified by
cells" but of the "singular line, struggle with a death for honor", the existing mobile
communications(handphone/beeper) have the limitations in both side the preservation of
secret and the technical. therefore we must put the CUG to practical uses positively,
in which there are reliable communication subjects and we can take advantage of the
struggle policy and the news of the actual spots literally.
7. The strengthening practical use of PC communication for the propaganda means and
the solidarity.
We must strengthen the propagasda to citizens and expend the relative
importance on CUG and PC communication for the solidarity with the with the
progressive camp. Moreover, if possible, we have to install a homepage of the NCSLU
in the Internet. Walking in step with the over-all increase of roles of PC
communication in the fields of propaganda and publicty, we have to progress them with
a view.
8. The progress in the education program on computer/PC communication for General
Staffs and union members
For the sake of not only in the Propaganda/Edit Committee and the
Infor-Communication Communication, but also the labor movement which correspond to
the information-oriented age, we must make progress the education program on
computer/PC comunication for General Staffs and union members. Now, it is possinle
to educate themself computer/PC communication for the human resources of the
Subway Labor, but the worse of it is that we do not have the place for meeting
and the materials for training. Which is capable of the education for a thousand of
members. Accordingly, juiging from the actual condition, first of all we can educate in
order the executive General Staffs of the centers and the branches, and then progess the
education for the General Staffs in actual spots and the union members, rounding the
local.
9. The development of infor-communication movement through the solidarity with
the progressive communication group
Through the solidarity with the [Progressives for Labor Information-oriented], [Group
for Solidarity of Progressive Comunication], [Civil Solidarity for Abolishing the
Inspection on Communication], let's progress positively the computerized work of labor
union and infor-communication movement.
V. A prospect of the infor-communication part of the Subway Labor Union
From the late 1995, the "comprterized operation on the work of labor union" have been
raised separately from CUG, which set up the computerization on the report cards of
union members into basic stage, using the program for management on labor union.
But it is at a standstill with no distinguish results, because the union members mount
up to one million and the particularity of workshops that are scattered in the
whole Seoul. But comming to 1997, the relative importance for these are being enhanced
more and more.
On the other hand, the combination between the parts of organization, education, and policy are being needed, while the limitation of CUG management which has stressed on propaganda/edit appear on the surface. So after this, joining with the computerized operation on the work of labor union, information-oriented business ranged over labor union at large will progress more possiblily.
At present, the infor-communication field of the Subway Labor Union are progresseng into the three lines.: [Management staffs of CUG of the NSCLU] that is a conference group of the central body of communication in each units. [Group for labor information-oriented] that make progress the modem installation in actual spots and the education program for the executive members. [Team for Computerizing business of labor union] which deal with the organization/policy part. But their results are not satisfactory.
Accordingly, for the sake of the secutity of the budget and the stanle activity on the
information-oriented business, we need to incorporate the "circle", "committee", etc,
into the official affiliated organezation of labor union, through the combination [Group
for the Information-oriented on Iabor] with [Management staffs of the NCSLU].
The present time, since the organized progress foward the [Infor-communication
committee] is proposing, sooner or later, its result will be revealed.
(ΑΦ1) Major decisions in Chunjihyup CUG have been discussed and made on the
meetings of communication managers from every organization. Recently we are
considering the integration of "Chunjihyup Management Group" with sub-groups
for data-processing and systematical reorganization of it into The Committee of Data
Communication.