비정규직 및 실업근로자의 조직화 - 세계경제하에서의 여성노동권 확보를 위하여 -

Organization of Irregular and Unemployed Workers

The purpose of this study is to review and study from a legal point of view the organization of workers facing unstable employment into a labor union to secure women's labor rights in the global economy. In the globalized economic system, workers cannot fully rely on government policies and legal systems to solve the threat of unemployment and unstable employment. One cannot overlook the fact that it is indispensable for workers to participate in social and labor movements to ensure their own survival. It is paramount for workers to systematically deal with the current situation by unionization to survive in the rapid trends of neo-liberal globalization. More specifically, irregular and unemployed workers need to exercise their rights of union and to secure entry into collective agreements, and also pursue a future-oriented movement by participating in global anti-neo-liberalism activities. Following the 1997-8 Korean economic crisis and IMF-assisted financial restructuring, the number of irregular employees has rapidly increased. As of the year 2000, in the labor market, the percentage of irregular workers (including temporary workers, day workers, part-timers, contingent workers and quasi independent contractors) amounted to 53% of total workers. Moreover, in the case of women workers, only 31.9% had full-time permanent positions, while almost 70% were employed in the irregular workforce. When we review relevant laws with respect to the organization of irregular and unemployed workers, under current laws they are legally not restricted from being the workers to establish a labor union. However, it should be pointed out that to protect the labor rights of quasi-independent contractors, the standard to characterize workers who can be protected under the legal scheme should be enlarged. In addition, I believe it should be emphasized that, first of all, the basic factors that drop the percentage of labor unionization should be minimized or removed. Then, their organization should be directed to organize super-enterprise level sectoral labor unions and district or industrial unions in a super-enterprise level. On the other hand, female labor problems are socio-structural problems arising from globalization and neo-liberalization and cannot be solved only by addressing issues of gender discrimination in labor markets. Therefore, for labor unions to solve these female workers' problems, in addition to the unionization of all workers, the movement should be directed to deal with the government and capital's labor policies based on globalization and neo-liberal ideologies. Labor unions must actively promote the organization of female workers and, at the same time, strengthen the internal democratization of labor unions, and prioritize issues that affect women workers, such as first dismissal, irregular employment, worsening working conditions etc.