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E.Land Workers' Trade Union President Kim Kyung-wook, here together with Jan Furstenborg of UNI Commerce at Seoul's Mapo police station a few days after his arrest, has been held in the police jail for almost two weeks. The Korean Labour Minister has not answered to last week's request by the International Labour Organisation to set him free, but instead also two other union representatives have been detained by the police. This has now caused ILO Director General Juan Somavia to intervene directly and formally with the Minister, asking him to intervene to secure the release of all three jailed trade union leaders.

 

The Director General of the International Labour Organisation ILO Juan Somavia is calling for the release of the three Korean trade unionists, who have been arrested in connection with the E.Land labour conflict. He says that last week's intervention by ILO Executive Director Kari Tapiola "has gone unanswered" and that he therefore has to raise the issue directly with the Labour Minister, Mr Lee Sang-Soo.

 

The E.Land workers' trade union president Mr Kim Kyung-wook has been held at Seoul's Mapo police station since 20 July. Last week, the union's vice president Mr Lee Nam-Sin and general secretary Mrs Lee Kyung-Oak were also taken to the police jail.

 

- My attention has been drawn to the recent arrest and detention of three trade union leaders exercising their legitimate functions, the the ILO Director General writes in his letter to the Korean government.

 

- As you know, the ILO's supervisory bodies, particularly the Committee on Freedom of Association, have consistently taken a strong position regarding the detention of trade union leaders and the pursuit of criminal charges in the case of a labour conflict.

- I would request you to do everything possible to secure the release of the E.Land trade union leaders in order for the normal process of negotiation and social dialogue to prevail over the use of force, Mr Somavia says in his letter to the Korean Labour Minister.

For more stories and pictures on the E.Land workers' struggle, go to the dedicated UNI Commerce webpage:

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