Police helicopters are dropping corrosive chemicals on striking auto-workers at Ssangyong Motors in Korea.
The workers, who are staging a sit in after the company unilaterally walked away from negotiations, are requesting solidarity from around the world.
Footage of hundreds of police dropping from helicopters, surrounding individual workers and using truncheons and shields to beat them has emerged on YouTube. (viewer warning)
The workers are demanding urgent that the company come back to the negotiating table and are seeking assitance from around the world.
Hyewon Chong an official from the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) said that union members lives are in danger since Ssangyong management broke off negotiations and called for police to raid the paint shop.
“If the police won’t do it, management will use their own private forces to enter the paint shop.
“The company has used private forces to repeatedly attack the sit-in strike and incite clashes,” she said.
Police helicopters continue dropping corrosive chemical substances on the sit-in strikers. Police and management have coordinated to blockade food, water, medical care from entering the plant and isolating the strikers, but the Ssangyong Motor workers are holding out despite severe conditions and serious human rights violations.
Ssangyong Motor has repeatedly violated the Collective Bargaining Agreement, including unilaterally stopping all payment of welfare provisions in the CBA and failing to pay wages for production workers dating back to March.
Ms Chong said the workers have been acting in self defence against the management hired thugs, while the government stands idly by.
"For almost the whole time, management has been urging the riot police to stamp out the strike, but briefly came to the negotiating table.
“But with riot police, private security forces and goons at their disposal, management does not feel pressure to genuinely try to negotiate. Management walked out of negotiations and informed us of their intentions through a press conference.”
AMWU Victorian organiser David Nunns said that various actions, including a protest this Tuesday 11 August were being planned to support the Ssangyong workers.
“We will be informing our members of what they can do to show solidarity with the Korean workers.
“Management’s actions have been outrageous and the workers need all the help they can get from all over the world.”