PSPD in English Socio-Economic
2001-01-31
1914
[Report] The Report on the Migrant Workers’ Communities
This paper was prepared for the workshop on Asia Migrant Workers’ Education hosted by the Resource Center for Asian NGOs at Sungkonghoe University and by the JCMK (Joint Committee of Migrant workers in Korea). The attendants seemed very eager to share their experiences and information about the respective Communities, so the hosting institution made plans to collect sources by questionnaire and small discussions. We wanted to collect ordinary members” opinions and needs through the questionnaire, but we couldn”t get enough answers to find out what they wanted and needed. Therefore we surveyed by interviewing leaders of the Communities and the staff of the JCMK.
We visited these places and Communities :
Seoul: Philippines (KASAMMAKO, Women on the Move), Nepal (NBF)
Bucheon: Myanmar Community, Nepal (NCC)
Ansan: Bangladesh (BWWA), Indonesia (ISWARA), Philippines (AFC)
Anyang: Pakistan Community, Bangladesh Workers Association in South Korea
Sungnam: Bangladesh Foundation, The Association of Korean Chinese
Masuk: Bangladesh (BPS,BNS), Philippines (Masuk Community)
Pusan: Indonesian Community (PERWIKA)
The migrant workers of every country have their own spontaneous groups and their own leaders. The community of migrant workers is usually called to meet when the groups appoint or elect the leaders, and for the regular meetings for their operations.
The Migrant Workers” development has taken place for over 10 years. The development has been done by many supporting groups and migrant workers” communities. Especially for political and law-making struggles, migrant workers have participated through the organized power of such communities, which is beyond their own individual power. Migrant workers have already recognized that communities are needed for ensuring their own rights.
The motivations for forming communities come from fellowship, religious life, self-help, support for home countries” social welfare, and propaganda for the home country. The communities have conducted various activities based on motivations.
This paper will focus on problems which have happened during the communities” activities for advancing themselves.
Ⅰ.The Characteristics of Communities
1. The aims of the Communities
The main aims vary from friendship groups and self-help to religious and political activity. This paper doesn”t include the political groups which work mainly for political parties. The NLD (Burma) and JVP (Sri Lanka) are branches of political parties, so the survey doesn”t include them.
Some communities are focusing on political issues even though they don”t have an official relationship with the political parties. They do activities such as conducting political campaigns and raising money for home countries” political parties. Some communities are very close to their religious activities. The members of these are very close because members can meet regularly.
2. The relationship with the home countries
From the beginning of some organizations, there was contact with the home country”s organization and other countries” organizations as well. KASAMMAKO is a member organization of Migrante International working in the Philippines. This organization is influenced by their home country” organization.
After the communities were established, some communities sought to network with their home countries” organizations and activities. For example, Dahran (one of the Nepalese communities) has been involved in social welfare activities. NGOs in Bangladesh and Indonesia were established for Bangladesh returning workers and Indonesian returning workers. Some communities have reintegration programs for helping readjustment after the migrant workers” return to their home countries.
3. The forms of Communities
Most organizations are based in the staying places or hometown. It is very convenient to conduct activities when they are organized close by. It is rare to have solidarity form between communities based on the same country. Exceptionally KASAMMAKO is an alliance of 7-8 member organizations. Communities such as BWWA, ISWARA, and PERWIKA have a branch system which the host organization made in staying places.
Religious leaders have played an important role working together among the Philippines communities. They have irregular meetings and network when they need to gather communities. Where communities don”t have a network among themselves, each community holds national ceremonies separately. However the leaders of the communities know each other and have contact numbers.
4. The activity power
The communities totally depend on their leaders” spirit and experience. This means that some communities are leader oriented or leader dependent. Because of migrant workers” working conditions and living standards, migrant workers have a hard time attending the community activities. Therefore some communities” activities are being conducted by a few leaders.
5. The contents of activities
Even though they have various aims, from low level to high level, the main everyday activity is helping and supporting members” needs. The leaders usually work to solve the members” troubles, such as medical emergencies, or arrest by the Immigration Office.
6. Membership fee
Every community has certain clauses related to the membership fee, which ranges from 3,000 to 5,000 won monthly. However most of the communities don”t collect membership fees because they can”t contact their members. That”s why leaders spend their own money operating activities.
7. The relationship of supporting NGOs (especially JCMK members)
In the beginning, support groups and supporting NGOs encouraged spontaneous groups and migrant workers to build up communities. They tried to change spontaneous groups into a systematic form and consult to strengthen the community. The Communities” activities have been conducted closely with supporting NGOs even if most of
communities have the ability to conduct some activities by themselves, because all the leaders and members don”t have the status to organize and conduct activities in public.
Ⅱ. Current disputed points
1. Why are Communities needed?
Some leaders are skeptical about the need for Communities right now. As time passes by, the long staying workers need communities less than those who entered Korea recently. The long staying workers already know how to handle their problems, which is why they don”t feel like joining the communities eagerly. They think they can help each other in spontaneous groups based on living areas, and they think communities can divide people because of some of their purposes.
2. The conflict from political and religious activities.
There seem to be few conflicts where the different kinds of activities are being done separately. However some communities mixing active and positive purposes for politics and religion have similar problems. Many members feel pressure from the communities, especially when the communities” leaders are interested in political activities, and when communities become activists.
3. The undemocratic processes and decisions
Because the communities” activities are usually conducted by a few leaders, the decisions and activities aren”t always based on members” needs. From the leaders” side, they have difficulties about what to decide and how to get permission and agreement from members who don”t participate.
4. Financial difficulty
Most of communities don”t collect membership fees sufficient to manage the operation of the organizations. Even if they collect enough membership fees, some leaders don”t spend their money for the activity expenses, because they are afraid of getting a bad reputation. There have been troubles about money misuse and misunderstanding.
Some communities” offices and facilities are provided by Korean NGOs. These supporting groups sometimes cause a dependent spirit. The communities need stable financial support from members for their long term activities.
Ⅲ. Task
1. Vision and long term plans are needed.
The vision can make leaders and communities active. The community without vision only responds to urgent needs, and the community can become inactive if there are no urgent needs.
2. The need to develop leaders” ability
Community characteristics and aims are judged by a few leaders” activities because community activities usually depend on a few leaders. The leader”s personal vision can appear as the idea of the whole community. The ability and will of leaders are key points of the communities activities. A few leaders had previous experience in participating in social services and movements, but most leaders have not had time to think over their activities. They have never learned how to organize and educate members.
It is very important to develop leadership. For developing leadership, the education about how to organize and educate members is needed. It is also important to give financial support for full time volunteers. Full time volunteers are needed, if not in the parts, then at least on the whole level of the association or alliance.
They are needed to solve language barriers. Beyond promoting friendship, every community needs to cooperate with Korean NGOs. Particularly, leaders need communication ability in Korean.
3. Networking and associated activities between communities.
It is wasteful that communities with similar purposes and targets conduct activities separately. Competitiveness between communities ends up creating show off programs. It is also bad that all the activities are concentrated on alliance organizations. Overlapping programs need to be deleted through annual meetings, and associated activities need to be made.
4. The need for stable ways of communication among members.
If there is no urgent thing which has happened to the members themselves, members usually drift away from the community. Members don”t have channels to get information about current issues on their country”s situation and personal news. Small newsletters for communication are needed.
Ⅳ. The situation of Communities
Questions
1. community aim
2. founding year and motivation of founding
3. number of members when the community was founded, number of current members
4. the number of leaders and regularity of leaders” meeting
5. membership fee per month; items of using fees
6. kinds of activities
7. characteristics of the community
8. solidarity activity (with whom, for what, how often)
9. supporting contents from supporting organizations
10. the difficulties from community activity
11. this year”s plan, aim
The Philippines
KASAMMAKO (Unity of Filipino Migrant Workers Association in Korea)
1. Kasammako thinks that the cause of migration comes from conditions in the Philippines, so they struggle against the migrant workers” policies of the Philippines Government and support the democratic struggle there.
2. Founded in 1998 when the Philippines” Korean embassy raised fees for many kinds of documents, such as issuing passports, even though lots of migrant workers were jobless because of IMF. Many communities and migrant workers hosted by Catholic religious group struggled for lowering fees, and they won. The need for building up an alliance was recognized from this struggle.
3. 1,030 members in total. On average, 230 members come to each yearly congress.
4. There is a full time worker who works for propaganda and supporting members. There”s a weekly leaders” meeting, consisting of 12 leaders, that includes representatives of member organizations. Most of leaders have had experience participating in movements in the home country.
5. There is no membership fee from member organizations. When a fund is needed, they collect money and raise money from raffle draws.
6. Political campaigns and solidarity activities with other countries” organizations under Migrant International policies. Helping members” problems, such as medical problems and arrest. Most of the help is raising funds from members to solve the problems.
7. Kasammako is an alliance of 8 member communities and is involved in Migrant International, which has member organizations in many countries and has its headquarters office in the Philippines. Kasammako”s member organizations are New Era Foundation, FFWK (Federation of Filipino Workers in Korea), FWA (Filipino Workers Association), APILMOK (Association of Filipino Workers Kwang-ju), QUEAK(Quezon Association), Bicol Association, SPMC (Samahan ng Pklipinong manggagawa wa Chilyang-Taegue), SSK (united in one coalition)
8. Political campaign with Korean NGOs.
9. Medical aid and lawful aid from JCMK (Joint Committee of Migrant Workers in Korea), office and facility sharing with a supporting group
10. Leaders can”t attend meetings continuously. That”s why consistency of educational effects can”t be ensured. As for member organizations, leaders can”t be absorbed in the member organization because they have to attend alliance activity.
11. Plan to strengthen education on causes of migration and gain support financially for a full time worker. The full time worker can work for every member organization every time on behalf of representatives of each organization.
AFC (Ansan Filipino Community)
1. Religious activity and self-help
2. Filipino Father Eujin founded in 1992.
3. No membership card. Ansan Catholic church members are involved in their activities.
4. Leaders are elected after religious ceremonies. On average, one leaders” meeting per month. After the religious ceremony, members gather and discuss problems.
5. No membership fee. Whenever an emergency situation needing money happens, leaders collect funds from members on the spot.
6. Basketball team, Bible study team. Whenever they need legal aid and medical aid, they get support from a supporting group.
7. Most of members are trainee workers. The relationship with the supporting group is very close because most of the members are newcomers in Korea. The supporting group is also related with the religious group.
8. Through the supporting group, the community participates in solidarity activities such as culture performances and campaigns for migrant workers” rights.
9. The supporting group handles all kinds of problems which have happened to members, such as remittance and labor problems, and it supports administrative work for special events. The community uses the office of the supporting group for small group meetings and computer work.
11. Plan to host Korean language lessons.
Masuk Community
1. Promote religious life and self-help
2. November 1998
3. Leaders” meeting every month. The president has to sacrifice himself, so members avoid being president. The present president has been in same position for 3 years, even though the term of presidency is one year.
4. The community has a membership fee system but the membership fee isn”t collected. Whenever an emergency situation needing funds happens, they raise money on the spot.
5. The community receives help from a supporting group for solving problems such as medical aid and legal aid, unpaid salaries, and industrial incidents.
6. There are three Filipino communities in Masuk: Bangashina (Organization based on hometown), FBO (Filipine Brotherhood Organization based on non-Catholic religions),
besides the Masuk Community. The leaders of the three communities gather every month under the name of POC. Another is the Catholic communities” network hosted by Father Glen of Haehwa-dong church. This network influences every community a lot.
7. Prepare new leadership
Women on the Move
1. Promote women workers” rights and protect women workers
2. Founded in August 1999. As sexual abuses in factories and the number of pregnant women increase, cooperative actions are needed.
3. Registered members are 101. It issues a membership card. Members usually meet at the religious ceremony of Haehwa-dong church.
4. 6 leaders get to the monthly meeting
5. The admission fee is 5,000 won, monthly fee 2,000 won
6. Try to help all kinds of problems of women as well as feminine problems.
7. Solidarity through Haehwa-dong church
8. Shelter, counselling, and financial support from Haehwa-dong church
9. There are a lot of problems, such as co-habitation between unmarried people and Filipinos married to Koreans. Leaders don”t have time to meet each other and concentrate on problems because they work in distant places separately.
10. They need educational programs for leaders.
Nepal
NCC (Nepal Consulting Committee)
1. Self-help and supporting the social welfare of the home country
2. The participants in the Kungsilryun and Myeong-dong Cathedral demonstration for migrant workers” first struggle made, and joined together in, the NCC. It started in late 1993 with 23 members. It was very active until 1996, but has slowed down since.
3. It has an office in Bucheon. Members usually live in the national capital region. When it was started, members were from even farther areas. Two kinds of members: special members and general members. Special members are usually leaders and pay a monthly fee.
4. New staff members were elected in the January 2001 Congress. Ten leaders have a lot of experience in conducting the NCC.
5. 5,000 won
6. Self-help
7. Unlike the beginning days when the NCC was the only community among Nepalese, currently about 10 Nepalese communities based on hometown, region, and living areas now conduct activities, besides the NCC. The dependence on the NCC has decreased but its symbolic meaning remains. Other communities expect the NCC to play a centripetal role among them. NCC has a relationship with the Korea Nepal Consulting Committee (returning workers” organization) and plans to support a social welfare service.
8. The members saved a lot of money for supporting the home country. During 1997-1998, there were unpleasant incidents where a few leaders used reserved funds arbitrarily. Therefore the community got a bad reputation.
9. To regain a good reputation and friendly support. cultural performances will be held.
NBF (Nepal Buddhist Family)
1. Promote friendship through religious life
2. Founded in November 1995 with 40-50 members. When Indian religious people came to Korea, Nepalese found out the Koreans misunderstood that the Buddha”s hometown and remains are located in India, so Nepalese workers built up a community to advertise Nepal to the Korean people.
3. Registered members are 160. It has a congress every six months.
4. Ten leaders meet weekly at the office.
5. Monthly fee 2000 won. It was often collected when religious services were conducted. Membership fees have been saved for supporting the social welfare service in Nepal since the founding year.
6. The religious service had been held weekly but it stopped because of a lack of participants. The participants lost interest because the religious service was held in Korean by a Korean monk. Even if the establishment was motivated by religious activity, there are no day to day religious activities now.
7. Members gather at an office of a supporting group every weekend to promote friendship. The community hosts a Buddha”s Birthday parade and New Year”s Day gathering every year. It issues a monthly newsletter that is distributed to Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China, Nepal, Germany, and England.
8. It expects network and solidarity activities will be done with the NCC.
9. Share an office
10. There is not enough active manpower, so that it is very difficult to conduct big events such as Buddha”s Birthday and New Year”s Day.
11. Kungsilryun Buddhists” Organization built and supports a Center in Nepal. NBF decides how to use funds for social welfare service. To support library operation in a center is one option.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh Foundation
1. Self-help
2. Founded in 1996, it was active with supporting groups in the beginning period of the community, but has become inactive now.
3. Registered members are 200.
4. The number of staff is 19. Weekly leaders meet informally, since there isn”t any regular and official meeting system.
5. There was a membership fee in the beginning period of the community.
6. A few staff members who can speak Korean help Bangladesh people with problems about translation. On every National Memorial Day, Bangladesh workers who live in Sungnam and the nearby area gather for a ceremony and sports.
7. When it was established, members respected the leaders. Members would bring flowers to give leaders when a leaders” meeting was been held. But it became inactive because leaders were busy and don”t have much enthusiasm about the community.
8. No solidarity activities right now.
9. The community uses one room provided by a supporting group.
10. Staff are very busy, so the community stopped activities, except an event for the National Memorial Day.
Bangladesh Workers Welfare Association
1. Self-help and religious activity
2. Officially formed in 1993.
3. Six branches in the national capital region, averaging 50 members in every branch.
4. It has a representatives” meeting monthly. Usually 20-30 leaders attend the meeting.
5. 2,000 won
6. If members have problems, they tried to solve members” problems with the help of their supporting group.
7. There was a community which was founded to raise funds for building up business in Bangladesh, but the representative ran away with the money. After then, members spread to other cities beyond Ansan. The headquarter office is in the Ansan supporting group”s building.
8. It has a network with 6 branches. Through the supporting group, they do solidarity activities for migrant workers” rights.
9. It shares an office of the supporting group. If members have problems, the supporting group helps to solve them.
10. Conflict between old members and new members. New members are inactive.
11. Plan to build up a Mosque near Ansan with the help of the embassy and a foreign religious group.
BPS
1. Self-help, and try to put a class concept into the community
2. Founded in Feb, 2000
3. Registered members were 41 persons, but now are 36 persons. It has a very strict membership qualification. Membership can be deprived when there are over 3 absences.
4. Active members are almost 20 persons, all members have staff positions. Most of
the staff are very political.
5. monthly 5,000 won
7. Young people having an intelligent interest in Bangladesh workers are participating.
8. It has a very close relationship with Korean NGOs.
9. It received an office and legal aid from a supporting group in Masuk.
10. There is a feud between Bangladesh communities in Masuk.
11. Education is strongly needed.
BNS(Bangladesh National Society)
1. Self-help
2. Founded in January 2001,
3. 71 members
4. Active members are 10 persons.
6. Its activity and plan aren”t decided because it is newly established.
7. Actually its members are opposed to making a community because they think a community could make members divided owing to certain purposes. But it was established to keep distance from the BPS. The BNS focuses on religious activity and self-help more than the BPS.
9. It has legal aid and medical aid from a supporting group.
10. There is another community named MNS (Millenium Society) besides the BPS and BNS. The MNS is inactive but is saving money monthly for supporting the home country.
11. There is feud among communities.
Bangladesh Workers Association in South Korea
1. Self-help
2. Founded in October 2000 in Anyang.
3. 51 members, members” congress every other month
4. 7 leaders, meeting monthly
5. Monthly 5,000 won
6. No activity since it was established. The President thinks cold weather is making the community inactive.
7. Bangladesh workers tried to establish a community in Anyang a few times but failed until the BWA was established.
8. Try to work together with the BWWA.
9. Use an office of a supporting group and get legal and medical aid.
10. Usually workers in Anyang have lived in Korea long enough to handle their own problems. Its leaders have to find out what members and workers want.
Indonesia
ISWARA(Indonesian Solidarity WARA)
1. Self-help
2. March 1998
3. 260 members when a spontaneous group changed into a community. Currently 300 members
4. 20 leaders, meeting monthly.
5. 5,000 won monthly, it collects about 200,000 won monthly on average.
6. One staff member works as a staff member of IMC and works full time at the Ansan supporting group”s office for Indonesian workers.
7. The headquarters office is located in Ansan, and has branches based on area. There are 5 branches around Ansan.
8. IMC is not a community but an NGO only for Indonesian workers and returning workers. IMC was initiated and supported by an Ansan supporting group.
9. The supporting group provides an office and allowance for full time staff.
10. The language barrier, in that leaders need to communicate with Koreans to help community members.
PERWIKA
1. Self-help, cultural and religious education for members.
2. November 1996
3. 1200 members, spread widely, especially in KyungNam and Pusan.
4. 2 leaders in headquarters. The respective representatives of 14 locals try to help solving problems through personal contact with the president. If possible, the respective representatives handle their own problems. The leaders from the headquarters and branches gather every 3 months. About 30 leaders come to each meeting.
5. No fixed membership fee. An average of 50,000 won is collected in every branch.
7. The relationship between the main organization and branches is very close. The activities are only self- help. It is very close to the Indonesian Embassy. Its relationship with the embassy may make the community inactive (even though there are a lot of problems caused by embassy.)
8. There is another community named ROI in Changwon. ROI members visited at PERWIKA events. Through a supporting group, its members participate in campaigns for migrant workers” rights.
9. Use an office of the supporting group and get legal and medical aid.
10. When the members have to suffer from tough problems, because of systematic
problems.
11. Plan to do systematic changes about the community and its branches. Develop programs for members.
Burma
Myanmar community
1. Self-help, support social welfare services in Burma, and support the democratic movement in Burma.
2. April 1996 with 13 members. It was established by gathered workers through religious events.
3. 200 members currently
4. 15 leaders meet every week. A few leaders had experience in the student movement and democratic movement in the home country.
5. 3,000 won. On average 100,000 won is collected monthly. 200,00-300,000 won is needed for heating and utilities.
6. Help translating when members are in trouble. Promote friendship through religious ceremonies and events. No regular religious service. The community hosts a Buddha”s Birthday parade and New Year”s Day every year.
7. Close relationship with the NLD (National Liberation for Democracy, a branch of a political party). Community leaders think that NLD members are high level and Myanmar community members are lower level.
9. Supporting group provides an office
10. Bridge the gaps between members. Young members are very inactive in the community. Young members aren”t so interested in the community and in the NLD as old members. Its activity is too political for members because of the relationship with the NLD.
11. To strengthen the supporting power for members, such as providing shelter and job security.
Sri Lanka
United Sri Lanka Culture Association
1. Self-help. Its aim can be changed for future plans in 2 or 3 years.
2. It was established 5 years ago but leaders moved to other areas or returned to their home country because of the IMF crisis. It had been inactive until new staff were elected this year.
3. 35 members live in Bucheon and Uijeongbu, and meet monthly
4. Five leaders are working now. It has a leaders” meeting twice monthly. One of the leaders had experience working in a political party.
5. 10,000
6. New staff started working just now. That”s why they don”t have specific plans. They are planning a cultural show to attract workers” interest on the Lunar New Year holiday
7. A monk who came from the home country plays a key role to help workers. He visits other communities and encourages their activities. But he doesn”t give regular religious services.
8. There is no regular network system between communities based on areas. Sungnam community is most active. The President of the Sungnam community is very good at planning and conducting events. The leaders of every community know each other. There is no feud or conflict among communities.
9. An office is provided by the Temple, a religious group. It gets legal and medical aid from a supporting group. Whenever it plans events, the supporting group helps with arranging the performance places and things.
10. Members are spread out, so it is difficult to organize members. Membership is not large, so it is difficult to conduct activities.
11. Plan about a cultural show, Buddha”s Birthday ceremony, National Memorial Day Korean Chinese
중국동포회 The Association of Korean Chinese
1. Self-help, to gain legal rights for Korean Chinese
2. Founded in January 1997. Current president and staff are the third. Membership expanded while struggling to amend The Law for Overseas Koreans, which does not include Korean Chinese and Korean Russians.
3. 3,000 members spread in Seoul, Sungnam, Kyungkido. They share information on Korean Chinese rights at the members meeting 4 times monthly. Eleven leaders. The President and Secretary General are working as full time volunteers at the supporting group”s offices located in Seoul and Sungnam. Staff has been changed yearly because they couldn”t endure not making money for more than one year.
5. 3,000 won. On average 1,000 members pay the monthly fee. Members fee has been used for events of the community, membership training for religious life, and donations for members in need.
6. Self-help, medical aid, and solving labor problems with the help of the supporting group. It used to issue newsletters but stopped because there was nothing to write on. They worried that the contents of the struggle and the situation of Korean Chinese might make them misunderstood as an anti-Korean Government group.
7. It usually focuses on amending the law. It is misunderstood as being the previous organization, or a semi-legal organization for gaining legal rights. Its membership card can be misunderstood as a legal card to get protection from illegal status. It is mixed with religious activities.
8. It is very close to Chinese workers because of the Chinese language. Full time workers also help Chinese workers.
9. It uses churches and an office for meeting and contacting members. Full timers receive an allowance from churches. Especially when members are arrested, the help of the supporting group is needed.
Pakistan
Pakistan Community
1. Self-help
2. Founded in 1998 when many workers were jobless and in trouble because of the IMF. It was made from a previously spontaneous group because of a supporting group”s encouragement.
3. 45 members
4. It used to have a leaders” meeting monthly and a co-meeting with the staff of the supporting group monthly.
5. 5,000 won. Used to be collected from about 30 members on average.
6. When members have industrial problems, leaders connect members with the supporting group and help with translation. When Pakistan needed emergency funds to restore the economy, they collected money and sent it to the home country.
7. Its activities have almost stopped because leaders think that members can help each other through spontaneous groups and meetings.
9. The supporting group helps solve members” industrial problems. Members use an office of the supporting group to gather.
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