1. Industrial Unions in Korea

2. Korea Health & Medical Workers’ Union (KHMU) bogun.nodong.org

3. KHMU Many hospitals were unionized in 1987
Korean Federation of Hospital Unions (KFHU) in
Over 100 hospital unions belonging to KFHU
Transformed into industrial union, KHMU in February 1998
140 hospital branches belonging to one union, KHMU
First industrial agreement in 2004 after 2-week industrial strike with 10,000 members

4. KHMU Established as federation 1988
Transformed into industrial union in 1998
140 hospitals
40,000 members
11 regional offices
50 full-time activists (25 persons at HQ)
300 full-time union officers at workplace level
8% of unionization rate (500,000 workers in healthcare sector)
Union dues: 1 % of monthly wage (around 15 USD) + solidarity fund
50% for workplace union, 40% for HQ, 10% for regional offices
Yearly budget: USD 4 million
5 departments: administration & finance, policy & planning, organizing, education & public relations, precarious workers, external relations

5. Struggle coordinated and guided by KHMU

6. KHMU press conference

7. KHMU industrial bargaining

8. KHMU campaign for 5-day workweek

9. Korea Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU)

10. KMWU
Korean Federation of Metal Trade Unions (KFMU) established in 1998 with 200,000 members, after the merger among metal union federation, auto union federation and Hyundai Group union federation.
Some company unions inside KFMU was transformed into KMWU in 2001 with 30,000 members.
Most company unions dissolved company union structure and joined KMWU in 2006, resulting in the KMWU membership with 158,000 members.

11. KMWU Membership decline 4 sectors: 19 branches
153,013 members in September 2008
136,132 members as of November 2011 in 238 unionized companies
135,000 members as of June 2013
4 sectors:
Auto: 90,000 members
Shipbuilding: 10,000 members
Steel: 10,000 members
General manufacturing: 20,000 members
19 branches
14 regional branches
5 company branches

12. KMWU Structure HQ 5 company branches 14 regional branches
4 sectors
Auto
Shipbuilding
Steel
manufacturing
14 regional branches
5 company branches
240 companies

13. KMWU Manpower Leadership 7 departments Full-timers
1 president, first vice president, general secretary
5 general vice presidents, 1 woman vice president
7 departments
policy planning, external relations, public relations, education, health & safety, precarious workers, organizing
Full-timers
90 activists are employed by KMWU
70 leaders are dispatched from company-level unions to upper-level unions such as KMWU HQ and regional branches
1,000 full-timers at workplace level

14. 18% at regional branch level
KMWU Finance
38,000,000,000 Korea won
= 35,000,000
US dollar
18% for several funds
16% at HQ level
18% at regional branch level
48%
at company level
1% of normal wage

15. Collective Bargaining
Central bargaining
KMWU HQ and metal employers association
20,000 members are covered
KMWU and big company bargaining
Regional branch bargaining
Company-level bargaining

16. Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
KCTU
Korean Confederation of Trade Unions

17. KCTU 16 regional offices 16 industrial unions or federations
700,000 members

18. KCTU affiliates Construction and building union
Public service & transport union
Civil servant union
Professor union
CAL professor union
Metal union (KMWU)
University union
General union
Healthcare union (KHMU)
Private service union
Financial and clerical union
Press union
Chemical & textile union
Information & technology union
Teachers union
Women union

19. Importance of Union Structure
Individual worker Vs United workers
Capitalist with money and capital
Workers united at
Factory
Company
Industry
National
Global
Forms of Union Structure
regional

20. Company unionism
Industrial unionism
Employee organization
HR management unit
Small-sized and scattered
Decentralized and narrow-minded
Weak bargaining power
Limited struggle power
Poor influence over government
Poor consciousness and poor strategy
Workers organization
National union in industry
Big-sized (class organization)
Unified and centralized
Strong bargaining power
Industry/nation-wide struggle
Industrial policy and social system change
High consciousness and effective strategy / ideology