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FIRST RESPONSE ENGLISH EDUCATORS(FREED)
Press Release May 30, 2010

FREED (First Response English Educators) is a first response support network for teachers and it has particular concern for the newest newcomers among teachers in South Korea. It provides information and consultation regarding settlement and employment. FREED is also an affiliate of TEA-KOR, an anti-imperialist network for teachers established in 2007.

FREED upholds the values of human rights and peace. We enjoy the support of the Busan Human Rights Counseling Center (Busan Ingwan Sangdam Center/ 부산 인권상담 센터).

With this press release, we want to address some current issues related to human rights and peace. Many education issues have come to our attention lately. Also, we wish to communicate a message of concern for peace in the region.

The crackdown against migrant workers
Many migrant workers from poor countries come to work in Korea at the invitation of employers and many employers take advantage of them by not properly documenting them. FREED discourages undocumented employment. However, we object to methods of enforcement that violate human rights and democratic practice. South Korean companies have accepted migrant workers without the regular monitoring of employers over the years but initiates periodic crackdowns unjustly. We think that employers and faulty government regulations are largely responsible for the lack of documentation. We express solidarity with all workers, including teachers and all migrants. Workers without documentation should be documented and amnesty granted until documentation is completed.

The MEST dismissals
FREED upholds the civil rights of all, including the political freedoms of freedom of association and the freedom to organize. How can an election be legitimate if the incumbent candidates use the mechanisms and power of the state to persecute the supporters and members of opposing parties? We support democratic participation in the political process. We support the calls for the reinstatement of the public school teachers dismissed for political involvements.

The arrests of labor leaders
Furthermore, we strongly object to the arrests of legitimate union staff and representatives in the KTU and other unions. This is profoundly undemocratic and hypocritical of the state officials responsible for ordering these dismissals. We demand their release and an end to such persecution of labor organizers. We urge freely negotiated settlements to all outstanding collective agreements in the public and private sectors.

The dismissed university lecturers
FREED joins in the call for the reinstatement of the thousands of laid-off university lecturers. We object to the mass lay-off of all the part-time and casual employees in multiple sectors, which was done so that employers could avoid the expenses of newly implemented employment regulations pertaining to part-time and casual workers with over two years of continuous employment. We sympathize with other teachers working in deplorable and stressful working conditions with over-work and under-payment. As foreign teachers, we often experience such hardship ourselves and we see no reason or justification for such poor conditions and hardship. Overwork is rampant in Korea and more work could be spread around by limiting full-time workers to five-day work weeks and eight-hour work days. It would serve the economy and employment relations to ensure that employees are all compensated fairly with proper benefits.

Corruption in education institutions
Our condolences go out to the family and colleagues of Seo, the hourly lecturer who committed suicide on May 25th. His suicide note told of extensive corruption and abuse at his institution. He was paid a very low salary and was forced to pay a price to obtain employment and described his work relationship to a professor as that of a slave. He reported participating in fraudulent practices and then committed suicide out of shame and stress. His case speaks to abhorrent and corrupt conditions in the education system. The government needs to address this problem squarely and thoroughly. FREED would actively support such efforts.

Peace
Finally, we would like to echo the calls for calmness and a peaceful resolution to the conflict between North and South Korea without military action and foreign interference. There should be a careful investigation of the Cheonan disaster by a credible third party. With concern for the welfare of all, we look forward to a reunited Korea and a region without nuclear weapons.

www.freedteachers.org/ TEA-KOR in www.facebook.com and www.unionbook.org