1960년대 전국외국기관노조와 한미행정협정 체결 촉구 운동

Abstract

This study examines the formation of The United States Army Korean Employee Labor Union(USAKELU) and Foreign Organization Korean Employees Union(FOKEU) which were organized in the late 1950's. It also discusses both union's activities. The USAKELU organized in November, 1959 to demand higher pay. It demanded the ROK-U.S. Industrial Relation Agreement as a part of the ROK-U.S. Status-of-Forces Agreement(SOFA). The ROK-U.S. Industrial Relation Agreement couldn't be made. If it had been made, it could have temporarily settled Korean workers' industrial relations in the U.S. Army agencies until SOFA's establishment. The movement for establishing SOFA was launched seriously around April 1960 revolution. It appealed to all sections of society. Therefore the movement pressed for a plenary session of the House of Representatives to resolve the ROK-U.S. governments to conclude SOFA. A power group from the National Council of Trade Unions(Jeonkook nohyeop) took the initiative in the USAKELU during the period of the April revolution. Kim Dae-yeon, a central figure in Jeonkook nohyeop was elected as a president of the USAKELU on December 20, 1960. The movement that demanded SOFA, including demands for higher pay and the improvement of the working conditions were advanced with the election of president Kim Dae-yeon. However these movements stagnated because of the 5.16 military coup. The USAKELU was reorganized into the FOKEU after the 5.16 military coup broke out. Conflict ensued between one group from the old Korea Labor Union(Hankook noryoen) and another group supported by the military authorities. The latter group seized the control of the organization and led it through the 1960's. The reorganized FOKEU focused on rebuilding and establishing new local branches, but it wasn't successful. Not until the beginning of 1963 did the FOKEU begin to bear some fruit in increasing its membership. The number of members of the FOKEU steadily increased to rank the third largest behind No.1 textile industry union and No.2 auto workers' union among industrial unions in 1964. The workers who had been employed in the foreign agencies had many problems resulted from various kinds of bad conditions unlike normal Korean workers. Because they have been in a legal dead zone without legal protection as SOFA was not concluded. In addition to that, they faced national discrimination and racial prejudice from the U.S. Armed forces. To improve these poor conditions, FOKEU developed the campaign for SOFA, with the struggle to ask for higher wage and better labor condition. These movements protesting against national discrimination and to change poor labor condition were carried out in the middle of 1960's. Because of these kinds of efforts, SOFA was concluded in July 9, 1966. However, a provision in SOFA left room to fire workers as much as the authorities wanted in the name of ‘military needs’. Furthermore, the right to collective action which was considered the last and the most important right was only nominally granted. Finally, movements for removal of poisonous articles in SOFA came to be left much to be done in the future.