No one likes to engage in labor struggle, so instead of criticizing someone by saying he strikes too often you should take a look at why he has no choice but to fight. Last October the cargo union took promises about an improvement in their situation at face value and canceled its strike at the time, but little has been accomplished since. The main reason for that is that there are a lot of people involved and shipping transactions are complicated by nature, so setting a general standard for determining shipping fees is not easy.
Why Samsung Electronics? Its products usually only get handed to cargo union members after they have gone through a logistics company and a "re-subconracting" company. The multi-stage subcontracting process means transport laborers end up receiving only half the money Samsung Electronics' reports to the Ministry of Construction and Transportation.
Another point of contention is unilateral contract termination. On March 7, the very day after unions and management met and shared their views about how to make shipping costs more realistic 51 workers received text messages on their mobile phones informing them their contracts had been canceled. In other words, when workers asked for more realistic transport fees, the company answered by essentially firing them. Samsung Electronics takes the position that since it is not the party on the contract it cannot be the object of negotiations about giving people their jobs back. The subcontractors say the situation has already gone beyond what they can do. It is wrong for everyone to try and evade responsibility, even according to the concept of cost, which in turn is based in market economics. Instead of searching for excuses to avoid responsibility, the side that has the actual authority to determine what happens needs to take the initiative in resolving the situation. The government, for its part, needs to take its case to those involved.
The Hankyoreh, 29 March 2006.
[Translations by Seoul Selection]
