The Present Condition of the Administrative Programs of the Union and Plans for its Computerization



Kim, Tae-Kyun
(Korean Labor Policy and Information Center)




1. The Condition and the Limitation of the present "Administrative Programs of the Union"
(1) The present situation
As for the administration programs of the Union, Nogiyun 1.0(1993), Haewul(1994), Honggildong 1.x(1995, for DOS), Doumi(1997, for Win 3.1) and Hoggildong 2.0(1997, for Win95) have been put on the market along with the program designed by the Seoul headquarters of KCTU.
These programs are the results of the continuous efforts by designers in that administration strategies have been newly incorporated, union members salaries have been taken accounted for, and has become more user-oriented. Moreover, the newer programs such as Doumi 3.1 asnd Honggildong 2.0 take advantage of the development of PC, which allows compatibility of input and output.
Nevertheless these programs have not been put into effective usage due to lack of understanding and appreciation. Honggildong and Doumi are the only ones that are upgraded or put on the market.
(2) Main Functions of the program(Doumi and Honggildong 2.0)
The following is the list of functions available in the two programs.
a. Member addresses and other various infomations.
b. Address and other info. of higher organizations and other union groups
c. Printout of postal envelope and labels
d. Data managing system(various meetings, union pamphlet)
e. Union schedule managing system
f. various reference tools and graphic programs for statistics
g. Accounting system
h. Election managing system
i. Salary analysis
The recent programs are capable of filing and managing members' personal data as well as generating various statistics that help to assess the present condition.
Furthermore, salary statistics and election managing systems are being added to the program. Doumi is especially effective in accounting system which calculates and generates Balance Sheet, Statement of Profit and Loss, as well as the comparison of budget and accomplishment.
(3) Limitation of the program
These programs, originally designed as personal data managing program and accounting managing program, are still in the process of adapting to the needs of labor union. Nevertheless, some of their limitations should be noted.
a. Program originally designed for a single operator of a single union.
The current programs have been designed for the purpose of computerizing separate operation under each labor union. Therefore, the concept of "cooperative work", in which a number of people can operate for different purposes, is lacking.
b. Difficulty of sharing data between unions due to incompatibility
Although the advent of Windows system solved some of the problems, most programs still use 'KSC 5601(Wansunghyung)' as their basis. Many informations such as conference records and union agenda cannot be utilized when it comes to generating business reports or operation reports.
c. Limitation of file management
Along with membership management system, file managing is a basic feature necessary for the exchange of informations between different unions. The recent rise in PC communications has heightened the importance of such transactions, highlighting the role of file managing system. Doumi 3.1 is an example with such file managing system, but more time seems to be needed for a more advanced utilization of file management and reference function.
d. Demerit of multi-functionalism
For union leaders with rudimentary computer skills, the fancy multi-functional programs are hardly attractive. Many recent programs put more emphasis on supplementary functions rather than focusing on their main role. A system that can be operated on simply from the monitor basis is needed.
e. The need for continuous supervision
After service is greatly needed especially in improving the program's various functions, the narrow range of market maybe a key factor, but the designer's continuous supervision over the program is imperative.
f. Deficiency in data gathering
Although data-gathering function may be unnecessary in a union as a single unit, its importance is great in the confederation-basis or at the level of higher organizations. (The previous Haewul had data-gathering function and Honggildong 2.0 is developing a program specifically designed for confederation.)
(4) Prospect and Task
Despite its urgent need of computerization of union administration, the programs aren't distributed widely, which cost several billion won. It has failed to achieve its intended effect. Such failure can be ascribed to the lack of understanding of the union leaders partly, but the limitations of the programs themselves must also be noted especially considering the heavy investment made they have put into them.
It is clear that the road to the Information Society will raise the demand for union administrative program. Because of the illegalization of the company's salary allocation to the full-time union staffs inn 2002, union will put more emphasis on examining the efficacy of union operation. Moreover, the formation of unions of each industrial level with its members ranging over thousands - starting with medical unions next February - will most likely increase the investment in computerizing union administration.
Due to the increasing political activities of the two unions, the need for a data-base coding the list of union members will greatly rise. Yet since there is no standardized fields and administrative programs differ between each union, gathering the dispersed information is very difficult.
At present, a type of programs and data-base which can gather data on confederation-basis and can be used interchangeably among different union groups are needed. Needless to say, this task may go hand in hand with the computerization plan of the confederation.
In short-term aspect, a program is needed that specializes in accounting management, membership management and file management. Of course the price will be important as well as its compatibility within the confederations. It will also require flexibility in adopting a set, standard which can facilitate unified operation among different union groups. A room for modification and improvement will be another factor needed.
Secondly, the on-going expansion of LAN in big unions and confederations will need to be considered. Programs must be able to meet such demands and help not only managing documents but further referencing those documents.
Lately, the demand for programs that allows sharing and working on the data in LAN has been on the rise. This function already available in FoxPro(Database program by MS) lets users manage telephone number, address, agenda as well as other informations. File management and reference operation will take full effect by making use LAN system.
Union administrative program is now heading for its utilization in confederations and affiliated unions. In this trend, it is certain that database program will raise the efficacy of union activity to a higher level, thus culminating in the standardized use of 'Hangul'

2. The Problems in the Present Computerization of each industrial union and confederation-level unions
The present level of computerization in union administration can be summed up as the setting-up of database in such areas as E-mail, CUG/Home Pages, LAN construction. Such utilization has given rise to effective operation in collective agreement, membership listing, address listing, etc.
At present, the personnel involved in the computer department is limited to a single person even in such big organizations as the Federation of Korean Trade Unions(FKTU) and Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU). In other confederations, communication is not even distinguished. To give an example, it is in some organizations limited to mere exchange of data through PC communications. Furthermore, database capable of indexing and referencing is very hard to locate and can only be found in "Information of Labor Union" printed by Labor Policy Institute and "M-News" printed by the Korean Labor Policy and Information Center. In most cases, filed data is retrieved by searching for file titles or depending on sheer memory.
Then it comes hardly as a surprise to find that among the 40 confederations, at most 5 organizations including KCTU, "Metal Federation" and "Construction Federation" have utilized the most basic LAN system.
The most prominent feature in computerizing union administration was the development and utilization of CUG. It has been assessed that unions's CUG system contributed to a great deal in the process of the struggle for the renewal of labor law in as much as it helped faster transaction of various informations. The only draw backs seemed to be that because the network was set up in commercial facilities. The monthly fee for usage range high while members without ID could not get access to the program. Other shortcomings were that it lack compatibility and had to undergo public censorship.
It's also notable that some organizations have opened up their home pages. But such usage has been limited to self introductory level rather than making full use of it by accruing updated international data and informations.

3. Suggestions for the computerization of union Administration
Although the computerization has arrived at the point where setting-upon home pages and Intranet group ware are frequently mentioned, their full utilization has not reached the level of satisfaction. For the necessary improvement, setting priority and making choices among alternatives will be necessary.
(1) Fundamental problems
From the aspect of information and communication, the computerization process has acquired much experience and constructed a certain level of networks. Their effectiveness was more obvious at the time of active struggle. Yet on a practical level, even some of the experts and union leaders confessed to having had a hard time searching for necessary informations. Moreover, merely investing on hardware does not guarantee effective computerization. If utilization merely stops at the point of using and storing few files even on such effective system as LAN, the value of the whole investment would be questionable.
The effectiveness of computerization must be measured according to the level of efficiency it gives rise to union activity. This aim will only be realized if it fully incorporates the potential advantages of systematizing the operation by means of gathering and utilizing database materials.
in that aspect, the Intranet and Home page are secondary factors in the over-all computerization process.
(2) Basic steps for computerization
Computerization at the level of confederation is not only a first step but more importantly the step that will lead to other following development. The process must start from the central position of the confederation, thereby branching out toward single unions and individual members.
The following list of necessary developments is to show that 'the necessity of computerization' must start from the recognition of the fact that the efficiency of the operation is always the prime factor. Each step has not necessarily to precede the following.
a) Construction of LAN at the level appropriate to the scope of operation (rudimentary investment for collective work and information sharing)
In confederation units or large-scale trade unions with 10 or more union staffs, LAN is a system worth investing on. It will not need great budget, but require operative system that allows collective usage of the data-base.
Although programs manufactured by computer-specialized groups will be necessary in the long run, the 'Work Group 97' currently on the market may be used at the present transitional period.
b) Management of Files, Data, other Info.
The data-base in need must be able to reference and make use of various documents and records as well as 'managing 'Hangul' files. For the purpose prior assessment of the operative system would be imperative.
Bringing various documents by the FKTU into database and making collective bargaining data-base of the KCTU are in a sense the most elementary and important step. Only after such construction, will other informations gain their full importance.
c) Computerization of membership list, organization management, and accounting management.
The most urgent and elementary step is computerizing the organization data, list of members and group agenda. A set standard will need to be decided upon by the confederation or higher organization. The lower organizations will gather informations according to that standard and thus make use of them. Documents from organization's policies and public announcements must be indexed according to the date of the composition, the name of the responsible organization, the title of the document, and their appropriate classification code.
d) setting up of a standardized format and means of info-sharing.
Whether using E-mail or CUG as document delivery system or constructing a new server to adopt the comm. + data-base of higher organization is a matter to be decided on considering the scope of the operation, budget and the projected development of computerization process. The decisive factor would be the effective utilization of higher organization's data-base system, without which, the whole computerization will lose its meaning.
e) Setting up of Data-base and Communication network conducive to that exchange of informations and sharing view points.
Thus arriving at this final step, the Home-page, Intra-net, its own BBS or CUG will gain importance. The distribution of useful informations among the union members will take full effect in systematic mode.
(3) Obstacles and the consequent strategies in the computerization process.
a) Organization leaders' mentality on 'informationalizing'
For the computerization process as a whole, the resolution of the organization leaders precede the question of budget and process is due to this factor. Abstract theorizing will not better the development. What is needed is personally getting involved in the Internet and operating on some parts of computer work such as file management.
b) Attempts at unifying the operation of Confederation with lower.
Although its necessity has been pointed out in the union groups, prospect of Union Adm. program, the change in the system formation and the scope of potential projects within company-level union has remarkably dwindled. Accordingly the leadership of the Confed. or higher organization is more urgent than ever before. Although, the task has been often put off to the responsibility of the both KCTU and FKTU, it must be taken over by the unions of federation because they are, in effect, the elementary units operating the over-all movement. Even though it would be ideal for both confederation to come up with standardized document format as well as utility program, the distinctive characteristic of each confederation asks for the prior effort on confed. basis and the ensuing adjustment by both confederation.
c) Computing Manpower
At present there is no personnel only responsible for computerizing operation as such on confed.-basis. It is about time computing team be recognized as a separated department.
d) Development of Software.
Need gives rise to action. It is too late to expect someone else to come up with an ideal program. To develop skin and endeavor to come up with what is needed for the union's own use is necessary.

4. The future for the computerization of Labor Union Adm.
In labor-related home-pages, it is not hard to find two addresses leading to the FKTU and KCTU one next to another. Furthermore, access to Ministry of Labor and municipal authorities are listed along side Puchon regional headquarter of the FKTU.
They, Labor, business and government, meet in Cyber-space. Union Members can compare the sites of the two umbrellar unions in the Internet and view an union site together with business circle's.
Cyber-Space allows the comparison of the viewpoints of each organization without the mediation of mass media. How can it become more convincing? The answer lies only in rendering logical and composite informations. The present Home-page stops short of mere bulletin board. Since it is only obvious that it will evolve to become a data-base utilization WEB, those involved in computerizing the Union Admnistration will need to look forward to future
Once an union member was engaged in a conversation about the necessity of the computerization. The conclusion, though an obvious one, reveals a truism in its clearest way.
"If LAN is set up, is it possible to record a file from other computers without connecting to a printer?"
"Yes"
"Is it possible to supervise 20,000 members, while managing membership fees along with accounting system?"
"Yes"
"Then, let's do it!"
The Computerization of the Labor Union started out from such a simple necessity.