South Korea exploits migrant workers: AI
"On 7 October 2005, my left hand glove got stuck and rolled into the plastic making machine; I could not remove my hand. It was not until my left shoulder was about to roll into the machine that the machine was stopped. I heard later that people could hear the sound of the bones being ground by the machine. The machine was switched off by people next door at another company who heard the screams from the scene. When taken out of the machine, my arm was without flesh or bones. Only clothes and skin were left. One person from the company next-door cut off the clothes and ligaments with a pair of scissors. There was no First Aid. I was then taken to an orthopaedic surgery.”
The Amnesty International (AI) recorded this chilling story of a 33-year old Nepali worker in South Korea in April this year which appeared in its report released worldwide on Thursday.
The London-based global human rights agency said the situation of the migrant workers in South Korea is the worst. It said the Korean employers have banned freedom of association, workers are forced to work for extended hours without extra payment and are not allowed to change working stations. The condition of the migrant women workers is even worse, according to the report.
Despite restriction on unionism, in January 1995, 13 Nepali trainees made history by organising a protest at the Myongdong Cathedral in Seoul, seeking public attention towards the human rights violations faced by migrant workers and trainees in South Korea, the AI report further said.
Their rally highlighted widespread abuses such as verbal and physical violence in the workplace, the seizure of passports by employers, long hours of work in poor conditions, delays in payment of wages and lack of care or compensation for trainees and migrant workers who were injured or killed during work.
After the demonstrations, workplace conditions improved little. The previous year, Samar Thapa, another Nepali migrant worker and a leader of the Equality Trade Union -- Migrants Branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (the predecessor of the MTU), was arrested from a demonstration from the same place, detained for months and was finally deported to Nepal on April 1, 2004, according to the AI.
As a result of the manner and speed of his forced deportation, Samar Thapa arrived in Nepal without personal identification documents and was also arrested by the Nepali authorities.
Similar is the condition of the migrant workers from other countries. More than 360,000 migrant workers are employed in South Korea from over 90 countries. The Korean government had adopted the Act Concerning the Employment Permit for Migrant Workers (EPS Act) to end discrimination to the migrant workers but it has not been implemented effectively and discrimination continues.
Thousands of Nepalis are working, most of them as trainee workers, in South Korea and get low wages than workers from other countries.
The AI has urged the Korean government to ensure rights of the migrant workers, respect their fundamental human rights, comply with international standards, stop abuse of workers especially women and stop forceful deportations. nepalnews.com ia Aug 17 06
