87노동체제하 전북지역의 민주노동운동 - 전북노련을 중심으로

Abstract

This article explores the process of subject formation of democratic labor movement in Chonbuk region under 87 labor regime, especially focusing on mass (union) movement and activists' movement. The great workers' struggle in 1987 was a watershed in the history of labor movement in Chonbuk Region. Mass movement, which had been thoroughly oppressed by the exclusionary strategy of the authoritarian regime before 1987, spurted out in the open space of democratization. And activists' movement which had been already recognized as a symbolic center of democratic labor movement, closely supported the union movement. However early local organizations of labor unions(Chon-Min-No-Ryon) collapsed because of the identity crisis, which was mainly caused by the leadership fallacy. Chonbuk-No-Ryon, mostly consists of small unions in manufacturing industry, participated Chon-No-Hyop to build a new union organization. However labor movement withered since 1990 not because of extremist and militant leadership but because of aggressive repression of the state and capital. Chonbuk-No-Ryon tried to overcome the crisis through wide-range solidarity with white collar unions and large firm unions, and finally succeeded in organizing the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions. Under the structural constraints of 87 labor regime, labor movement in Chonbuk succeeded in obtaining institutional legitimacy and expanding the organizational space. However they should pay the price for that: division of activists movement and mass movement, the demise of activists movement, weakening of the Chonbuk-No-Ryon's initiative, labor market flexibility.