The KCTU’s Second Leadership Election—Our Opinions on the Issues

PICIS Newsletter, no. 11, Monday 30 March 1998

Interviewed by Workers’ Daily News
Translated by PICIS
(Workers’ Daily News is a journal of Korea Research Institute of Workers’ Human Rights and Justice. It is distributed to unions and organization through national network and fax.)

1. A lot of people say they can’t see difference between the two candidates’ pledges. What do you think your difference from each other candidate’s pledge?

Jung Gab-deuk: There is certainly difference. I think the difference is whether they are prepared or not. I don’t mean Lee’s pledge don’t have content, but he says himself he couldn’t prepare his pledge during standing up the election. Moreover, there are differences on evaluation of political situation and struggle strategy. We put the priority on obtainment of job security and defense of living rights and proposed general strike. Lee accepted this. We want the former to be based on rank-and-files’ wide participation, and further to raise renegotiation on IMF conditions. I’m not saying he don’t agree with me, but he don’t stress enough.

Lee Gab-yong: I and Ko, my runningmate, was nominated by those who criticized existing leadership’s social partnership trend-’labor movement with citizen’. As we see on the pledge, our major policies are 1) direct election of staffs 2) renegotiation on IMF conditions 3) rejection of the tripartite accord, general strike, and establishment of equal tripartite commission. These are differences from Jung’s camp. But Jung and Jang, his runningmate, don’t fully rupture existing leadership and adhere to ’labor movement with citizen’ line.

2. There are a lot of concern over the present situation of KCTU. What’s your concrete plan as a candidate to overcome split in KCTU?

Jung: Everyone says renovation, but if renovation is considered as windup and we have defeatism as KCTU is no more than FKTU, there will be no real unity. It should be attained through the election to overcome split in KCTU and attain unity among us. Election process should not be that of slander, but that of unity and of joint preparation for struggle. Present unity within KCTU asks for the unity through struggle. Without struggle, there is no unity. I’m sure that only the unity through struggle can obtain both renovation and unity.

Lee: If top leadership gather and heal the injury with only stitching, the problem will be enlarged. In order to overcome present crisis, including distrust on leadership, we should reveal the substance of problem and share it with rank-and-file. Though we have pain at first, we can cure the split through united struggle against the government and capital. For this, we should triple the number of central committee and quintuple the number of representatives, and let the voice and momentum of workplace have organizational power. We can cure the split through this process.

3. The composition of secretariat is now being major issue. What’s your plan on the composition of secretariat?

Jung: First of all, we will construct a secretariat as a system for work and execution based on the priority of grassroot’s need. We are considering introduction of from-workplace-to-central dispatch system, workplace experience system, workshift system. And also, we will construct responsible and strong secretriat, and divide and make strike, culture, education, propaganda, and welfare bureau. We are also considering introduction of female vice-president and women bureau.

Lee: We will enlarge and strengthen central by composing the secretariat staff with those from workplace, and make expert traing program for officials. Only by this, chiefs of bureaus can accord with the board and represent voices among workplaces. And also, the board should be return to workplace when their term terminate, so that next leadership can easily construct new secretriat. Finally, we will make bureaus of women, strike, and industrial safety, and heighten executive power, making effective organization.

4. On Mar 24, FKTU proposed a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ and ‘joint work for local election’ to KCTU. If you are elected president, How will you answer to this proposal?

Jung: I don’t know the concrete meaning of the gentleman’s agreement. But if it is for the struggle for job security and peoples’ living rights, we will accept it. If, however, it means that KCTU cooperate with FKTU to prevent unions in FKTU from seceding from it, we don’t see the necessity of saying openly about it. It depends on workers’ own intention which umbrella organization each union choose, so we can’t decide on such problems on higher level. As for the local election, we will discuss it in a newly constructed deliberative organ.

Lee: In the FKTU’s proposal on gentleman’s agreement, there are terms on reciprocal approval, stoppage of slander, and prevention of secession. KCTU haven’t denied the existence of FKTU, and have criticized it sincerely for its democratic development. But, before a gentleman’s agreement, FKTU itself should reflect its corruption, bureaucratic nature, and past behavior, like bald support for ruling party, and have workers’ viewpoint and philosophy. As for the joint work for local election, KCTU should decide plan for the election first, and discuss joint work. So at present it is not easy to decide strategy and work.