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Barbara Easterling, UNI World Women's president, has written to the Korean E.Land shop workers and their union, expressing the solidarity of all women members of Union Network International. Most of the workers at the Homever hypermarkets as well as the New Core and Kim's Club Stores are women, and they have been on strike already for more than six weeks.

- I am appalled at the drastic decision of E. Land to throw 1000 workers on the street rather than provide them with the regular contract required by law. We are well aware that the majority of workers are young women with children who are low-paid and lack even the most basic social protection, Barbara Easterling says in her letter. She condemns the actions of Eland and urges all workers, " especially the sisters throughout the world, to stand with you in your fight for justice".

One of the E.Land trade union leaders who are held behind bars at a Seoul police jail since July is a young woman trade unionist, Lee Kyung-Oak, the general secretary of the E.Land company union. Despite several protests both by the International Labour Organisation and UNI, the unionists have not been released.

And the reason given for arresting them? Obstructing business activities. This tells much about the approach of the Korean government and the disrespect for fundamental workers' rights, in violation of the country's international obligations.

E.Land's founder and main owner Park Song-Su should now emerge from wherever he is hiding from publicity, make sure that his jailed workers are released by dropping the charges against them and their union, and finally start participating in the efforts to resolve the conflict through serious negotiations.

Ms Easterling's own trade union, the Communications Workers' Union of America CWA, is one of the UNI affiliates which have already participated in supporting the E.Land workers' strike action.

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