Solidarity with Korean workers

We have received news that you have issued a diciplinary warning to the Office Labor Committee President YU Kil-jong, for having participated in the November 2006 GM European Employees Forum (EEF) and the IG Metall co-sponsored international conference in Germany without seeking your prior approval. The EEF/IG Metall co-sponsored meeting was a legitimate event attended by GM employees from around the world to discuss together developments in GM and what they mean for employees; the meeting was certainly very relevant to the South Korean OLC.

It is not acceptable that GM-DAT Personnel Management Department give colleague Yu Kil-jong a disciplinary warning for having participated in the international conference marking the 10th anniversary of the EEF. Nowhere else in the world have GM employees been diciplined for attending the conference: not in Europe, not in Africa nor in Latin America or any other countries in Asia Pacific. We are incredulous that the GM-Daewoo Human Resources Department has taken such a hostile attitude towards the EEF, with which General Motors here has had relations for 10 years now, and such a punitive attitude towards Mr. Yu Kil-jong´s participation. As the OLC president, he is the elected representative of the salaried workers with full-time officer status. He should not have to request prior approval to carry out activities to represent the salaried emplyees´interests. Further, the company should not intervene to stop him from conducting OLC activities or subject such activities to company authority or discretion. Furthermore, we are shocked to hear that labour relation managers physically attacked a colleage on 16th January 2007, provoked a fight and then blamed the attacked person for the incident. Such intentional violence and dishonesty cannot be tolerated. We have heard that this incident was used to blacken the reputation
of the OLC and cannot help but wonder whether the labour relations managers
were really acting independently. GME DAT is a business partner of GME. In this context, I wish to refer to the GME Principles of Social Responsibility signed by GME, and especially the paragraph entitled “Relations with Employees and Unions/Employee Representatives.

The EMF is appalled at the actions taken against the OLC in the weeks since the 10th anniversary international conference. The disciplinary warning against Mr. YU for for attending the legitimate EEF meeting and physical attack and dishonest reports of how the incident began are acts of intimidation and defamation that cannot be tolerated.

The EMF strongly protests against the company´s interference in the activities of the OLC and call on you to use your influence to put an end to this climate of intimidation and prosecution.

Yours sincerely,
Peter SCHERRER
General Secretary

cc: Mr Michael Grimaldi, President of GM DAT,
Mr Nick Reilly, President of GM Asia-Pacific,
Mr Carl-Peter Forster, President of GM Europe
Mr Holger Kimmes, Director HR GM Europe